Magic Meet Mind
by Starrynyte04
Summary: "You think you're complicated. You're not. You're simple. You're just like every other murderer I've profiled. I understand you perfectly. That's why you'll lose." In a world where Harry was adopted by Aaron Hotchner and raised by the BAU, he grows to be one of the best profilers before he's a teenager. How does his knowledge affect Hogwarts, the war, and the world in general?
1. Prologue

Hello all you lovely readers! If any of you have read my other Harry Potter fanfic, then you know I brought up the possibility of a Harry Potter and Criminal Minds Crossover. This is that fic. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning the Professor Position.

There is one thing you should note. I'm trying a new writing style where I basically summarize what happens instead of using a lot of dialogue, at least for the first few chapters. The story won't really pick up until...well we'll get to that. But the summarizing of events is kind of necessary if we want to get to the good stuff while also having a background basis for how Harry got to where he is. So! With that note, I hope you enjoy and please do tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is welcome, just be respectful.

Also, Harry Potter and Criminal Minds are two franchises I will never own.

...

Prologue

...

Harry Potter was six years old when Vernon Dursley was chosen to go on a business trip to Washington D.C.

Grunnings was attempting to break into the American market and Vernon, trying to climb the ranks, had impressed them enough to be picked to meet with prospective business partners. The company had also arranged for Vernon's family, including his nephew Harry, to travel with him to make a good impression.

Unfortunately, Vernon Dursley never made it to the first meeting. When the businessmen he was supposed to meet with had spent an hour waiting, they called their superiors who then called their contacts at Grunnings who then attempted to call Vernon.

That call went unanswered.

Finally, Grunnings called the hotel the Dursleys had been set up in and the hotel sent up one of their housekeepers to check the room and its occupants.

When no one responded to the housekeeper's knocking, she opened the door and almost immediately screamed. The bloody body of Vernon Dursley was laying just a few feet from the door.

The housekeeper let the door fall shut and immediately ran to inform her manager and call the police.

The police then called in the FBI and the FBI assigned the case to the Behavior Analysis Unit.

…

When Aaron Hotchner joined the BAU, he knew he was signing up to witness the very worst humanity had to offer.

But he also knew that he would have a chance to catch the bad guys before they hurt anyone else. It brought a feeling of satisfaction that he could never get from simply prosecuting criminals, and his wife Haley understood that he loved his new job despite the horror he faced at all hours of the day.

Hotch, as he was commonly called, had only been in the BAU for a month, but had quickly bonded with Jason Gideon, his unit leader. While Gideon had been doing the job for decades, he treated Hotch with a level of trust and respect not common for a newbie, but one that he had earned after his very first case with them that showed just how capable he was.

Also in their unit was Gideon's new protégé, a brilliant young man who somehow already had a PhD and was studying to acquire more even though he was barely old enough to buy a beer. There were several other agents on their team, but Hotch wasn't attached to any of them, especially as he knew that two of the agents were looking to move on in the next few months.

It was just before noon that late August day when his team was assembled and briefed on their new case. An English family of three was the second foreign family to be murdered in their hotel room, and they were being called in to investigate.

The DC police had left the crime scene untouched for the BAU, so they and the FBI crime scene techs were the first to enter the room.

One had to wonder how nobody had heard the murders being committed, especially with such thin walls the hotel had. Blood was splattered everywhere, mostly from the obese father, but the mother had been stabbed multiple times as well and the son had one long slice across his throat. Marks around their mouths showed they'd had their mouths duct taped shut. Bruising on the parents' wrists indicated that they'd been restrained.

It was Hotch who first noticed something odd. There were three victims; father, mother, and son, but there were four pairs of shoes. In fairness, the last pair were small and almost completely hidden beneath the couch that had been turned into a pullout bed, but they didn't look to fit the large blond boy. They were also falling apart at the seams, and Hotch almost considered that they had simply been overlooked by the maids and forgotten there by the previous occupant.

Then an almost inaudible shuffle came from the closet.

Calling out to Gideon and gaining the attention of everyone in the room, Hotch inched towards the door, and gently knocked. This time there was no mistaking the sound of shifting fabric.

Hotch braced himself and twisted the knob to pull the door open. He was not the only one to blink in confusion at the little boy curled up in the corner, bold green eyes peeking out at everyone through the mop of black hair covering his forehead.

Relaxing immediately, Hotch crouched down and shuffled over so that he was blocking the boy's view of the dead bodies.

"Hello," he said in his soft baritone. "My name is Aaron. What's your name?"

The boy only cringed back further into the closet, pulling the blanket by his feet up to cover himself. Aaron then took note of the closet floor. Blanket, pillow, and a small backpack in the opposite corner. It looked like the boy had slept there.

Hotch filed the information away and asked the boy if he could touch him. Not receiving any answer, Hotch gently reached out. When there was no resistance, he pulled him into his arms and stood up, taking the boy out of the room to be checked out by a medic.

Hotch couldn't explain why, but from the moment he held the boy in his arms, something inside him thrummed. While he felt protective of the boy, as anyone would in that situation, it was more than that. It was something undefinable. A gut instinct that told him there was something more to this boy than met the eye, and he vowed to find out what it was.

While the boy was cleared of any injury, Agent Martinez, the lone female member of his team, found out the father's name through the hotel and that his company had made the reservation. Grunnings was called and HR was able to pull up employment records to identify the other family members. The boy was the Dursley's nephew, Harry Potter.

Returning to Quantico, Hotch led Harry to a room filled with toys used to talk with children involved in cases and told him he could play while they waited for the social worker Child Protective Services was sending over. Legally, the agents couldn't speak with Harry without a guardian, which is why they needed to wait for the social worker, but they could subtly observe the six-year-old through the glass walls.

Instead of playing or even curling up and sitting quietly, which wouldn't be surprising for a traumatized child, Harry slowly walked around the room looking at the toys. He wouldn't touch any of them unless they were out of place in some way. He picked up a ball to put it in a bin with others. He pushed the books on the shelf up straight to slide in two more that had been placed carelessly on top. He placed the blocks that had spilled onto the floor back in the tub. He made sure the little plastic chairs around the table were pushed in nicely. All the crayons lying out were slid back in their box and placed next to the markers right in the center of the table. A crumpled ball of paper lying next to the trash can was quickly thrown away. When the room was all tidied, he sat down against the wall and looked out to watch the agents in the bullpen.

The behavior was troubling in a number of ways, and Hotch yearned to go in and speak with Harry. He had his suspicions of how the Dursleys treated him. The EMT that had looked him over had told Hotch that Harry had several bruises at various stages of healing and was quite small and underweight for his age. It would take a full medical evaluation to find the extent of his injuries and how far back they went though.

Finally, the social worker arrived and Agent Martinez was chosen to go in to speak with Harry. Hotch had wanted to go in, but was overruled as he didn't have much experience with children.

The social worker, Ms. Taylor, sat in the corner to observe, while Martinez approached Harry. For half an hour, she tried all the tricks to get Harry to talk. She spoken softly. She reassured. She sympathized. She asked simple questions, some just about himself. She tried to engage him in activity by coloring a picture herself. She even sat quietly by him when nothing else worked, hoping that he would talk to her if she didn't prompt him.

But Harry didn't say a word. He avoided eye contact, yet followed all of her movements, especially her hands, with shrewd eyes.

Eventually, Martinez was motioned out of the room, leaving Ms. Taylor in with Harry. Hotch took the chance to ask again if he could speak with him. Gideon studied him for a moment before nodding his head once.

…

Hotch let the door shut behind him, dulling the sounds on the other side of the glass. He stood there, just watching Harry until he finally raised his head and looked at Hotch with a blank expression. Hotch looked away and walked over to the bookcase. He looked back at Harry, whose eyes were lowered, but still looking in Hotch's direction.

"Why did you put the books away?" Hotch asked directly.

Harry's eyes focused on his face.

"Do you put the books and other toys away at home?" Hotch reworded, encouraged by the slight response.

Harry nodded.

"Do you like it when things are clean and organized?"

Harry glanced away in thought before he shrugged.

_Not OCD then_, Hotch thought. He didn't tidy up because he needed things to be in order. He did it because it's what he's been expected to do.

"Do you get in trouble when things aren't cleaned up?"

Harry nodded.

Those simple answers alone weren't really indicative of abuse, but Hotch knew. He could feel it. It's not why Harry was here though. Hotch needed to get him to talk about the murders and anything he might have heard. However, the knowledge of Harry being abused would help in how he got those answers. Harry would respond if he was direct and unemotional. Factual. Hotch needed to treat him almost as if he were an adult in this case, without kid gloves. That was what Harry was used to.

Hotch used a blunt tone when he said, "Your aunt, uncle, and cousin were murdered last night."

Ms. Taylor started to interrupt, but Hotch held up his hand and glared at her to be silent and let him speak. She pursed her lips but remained silent in her seat.

Hotch looked back to Harry. "I know you were in the closet when it happened. I know that you weren't involved in any way," Hotch added when Harry shrunk in on himself. "But I think you know how your family died. The person who killed them is going to kill other people. You could help us stop them if you tell me what happened."

Harry looked up at him, and Hotch could see it in his eyes that he was finally going to say something.

"I didn't see him."

Hotch sat down across from Harry and crossed his legs. Harry shifted to copy his position.

"I still want you to tell me what happened. Start at the beginning," Hotch said lowly. "You came here yesterday on a plane. Yes?"

"Yes."

"Close your eyes. Think back. You were on a plane with a lot of other people. There was a noise from underneath. It was the landing gear. An announcement came over the speakers. Then the plane landed. Was it bumpy?"

Harry murmured, "A little. Dudley was scared."

Hotch continued. "You had to stay seated until the plane came to a stop. Then you got up and got your bag." Harry nodded along. "Tell me everything that happened once you got off the plane."

Harry did. In a surprising amount of detail, Harry told of how he stumbled after the Dursleys through the airport, met a man waiting for them with his Uncle Vernon's name on a sign, and rode in a black car to the hotel. Then his uncle went out for a few minutes while his aunt and cousin changed clothes. His uncle came back with a box of cheerios for him to eat while the three went out to dinner.

"They didn't take you with them?" Hotch interrupted.

Harry blinked his eyes open. "No," he said simply, in a voice that clearly implied, _Why would they?_

"What did you do while they were gone?" Hotch went on.

"I watched the telly and ate my cheerios."

"Do you know how long your family was gone?" Hotch asked, internally frowning at the use of the word "family".

Harry's face puckered in thought. "I found a cartoon," he said slowly, "and I watched…four episodes of it, so it was a little more than two hours I think. Then I heard Uncle Vernon coming down the hall a bit through the fifth episode, so had to turn it off real quick."

_Impressive reasoning for a six-year-old_. "Why did you have to turn it off?"

"They don't let me watch the telly."

"What happened after they came back?"

Not much apparently. They turned the couch into a bed for Dudley, changed into pajamas, watched some television, and then went to sleep as soon as it got dark.

"I was really tired," Harry said. "So were Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Dudley yawned and whined a lot, so I know he was too."

That makes sense, Hotch thought. There's a five-hour difference between D.C. and London. The Dursley's would have had to stay awake longer than normal to adjust to the time zone.

"Why were you sleeping in the closet?" Hotch asked, hoping that Harry would contradict him and just say that he hid there before their attacker noticed him.

Harry looked at him with piercing eyes. He was studying Hotch more than any other child ever had. "Aunt Petunia told me to," he said while looking him in the eye.

Hotch breathed in deeply and maintained eye contact. "Do you sleep in a closet at home?"

"No."

Hotch was slightly relieved at his, but then asked, "Where do you normally sleep?"

"In my room."

Hotch narrowed his eyes. Harry was clearly lying. He looked away when he said it. He tensed. He tapped his fingers. Everything about his body language said it was a lie.

"Your aunt and uncle told you to tell people that," Hotch said calmly. "They're dead. Tell me the truth," Hotch demanded.

Harry looked back at him with wide eyes. "In my cupboard," he whispered.

"You told someone this once before," Hotch stated. "An adult. A teacher maybe? And when the Dursleys were confronted about it, they said you were lying. No one believed you, and your aunt and uncle told you not to tell people where you slept or about when they hurt you."

Harry looked down and curled in on himself. "I'll get in trouble."

Hotch breathed out slowly. There it was. As soon as he found this serial killer, he would make sure Harry got the help he needed.

"I believe you."

Harry's head snapped up.

Hotch just raised a brow. "Why would you lie?" he asked simply, as if him believing Harry was no big deal. _Of course_ he believed him. "I'm not like other adults," he explained. "I've been trained to read people's behavior; to understand them. I know when someone is lying and when they're telling the truth. I know you're telling the truth."

Harry's whole body relaxed at he looked at Hotch in wonder.

"Now," Hotch said lightly. "This next part might be hard, but I need to know what you know. You said you didn't see _him_. Was there another man in the room?"

Harry nodded, and Hotch sat looking at him patiently.

"I woke up," Harry said slowly. "I don't know why, but then I heard a door open and close. Then a weird sound, like _errrrc_," Harry imitated in a high pitch. Hotch deduced that it was the sound of duct tape being pulled. "Then I heard Dudley wake up. He sounded scared. He was whimpering, but the man shushed him. Then I heard Dudley get off the couch bed and they both walked a few steps. It sounded like he was going to the big bed. And I heard that noise again. Then Uncle Vernon grunted, and I heard the bed squeaking. Then I think Aunt Petunia woke up. The man shushed them and Dudley started crying. The man whispered something."

Harry frowned. "It was hard to hear him, but I think he said he didn't want to hurt Dudley and promised he wouldn't if they did what he said."

Hotch leaned forward. "What did he want them to do?"

Harry's eyes narrowed in thought. "First he told Aunt Petunia to cover her mouth. Then he told her to tape his hands behind his back. I think he meant Uncle Vernon. Then the man told her to stand up and walk forward. I couldn't really hear what he said next. It was just a whisper, but I heard that sound again."

Harry looked up at him. "Was that sound the tape?"

"I believe so," Hotch said quietly. "What happened after that?"

Harry closed his eyes. "He started talking funny."

Hotch tilted his head. "Funny in what way?"

"His words didn't make sense. It was like he thought my aunt and uncle were his mum and dad. I remember that he asked how they could abandon him. He said, 'You took me out to eat as a treat and told me I'd be happy here. I didn't know that you meant I'd be happy here _without you_, and you were wrong!' I heard that part because he was a lot louder than before," Harry told him seriously. "Then he said, 'I wasn't happy here. Do you know what you left me to…' um, it sounded like he said 'mami'? And then, 'Do you know, papi?' I heard all of the Dursleys trying to talk to him, but they just made _mmm_ sounds because their mouths were taped shut."

Harry fell silent after that.

Hotch tentatively reached out to cover one of his hands. "Harry, I know you don't want to think about what happened next, but it might be important."

Harry spoke in a mumble. "He told Dudley not to be scared. He said he was saving him because they would leave him, and then Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were screaming, only it was quiet, and then I heard a thump and then some footsteps and then…"

"Then?" Hotch prompted.

Harry had shrunk into himself by this point, and Hotch had to lean close to hear him whisper, "It was like a hitting sound, but also…wet. Over and over and over." Harry peaked up at Hotch. "I didn't hear Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon or Dudley after that."

Hotch breathed out.

"Thank you, Harry. That was very brave of you. I want you to know you helped us a lot by telling us this. Ms. Taylor is going to take you to safe place now," Hotch said as he stood up.

"Wait!" Harry gasped. "There's one more thing!"

Hotch lifted a brow.

"The man," Harry said. "He walked funny. I heard him as he left. His steps were uneven. He walked like this." Harry then proceeded to walk with his left leg not extending past his right.

"He had a limp?" Hotch clarified.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, and I know it was on his left leg because I saw his shoes when he walked near the closet."

Hotch hummed to himself, thoughts not on the case, but on the boy standing in front of him. It only took a moment to come to a decision.

He asked to speak with Ms. Taylor outside.

…

Using the excuse that the Unsub was a family annihilator and might try to come back for Harry if he found out that he didn't kill the entire family, Hotch was able to convince the social worker that Harry's temporary guardian be a BAU member working the case, as Harry could also remember further details about that night that may come in handy. Of course, Hotch volunteered and was approved quickly given his current and former status.

When he called Haley to inform her of their new houseguest, the only questions she had were out of concern for Harry. It made Hotch fall even more in love with her.

Hotch was allowed to leave early that day to take Harry to the hospital for a full medical evaluation. The abuse was confirmed and a full report written up. Then Hotch took him home and introduced him to Haley. The wide-eyed look Harry had when Haley slowly put her arms around him in a hug soon melted into a look of wonder and contentment.

Hotch hoped not to overwhelm Harry with all of the changes, but Harry didn't really react to all the new freedoms he was given. His new room was barely glanced at. The food he spooned onto his plate at dinner was minimal. He still cleaned up around the house even though they both told him not to. Hotch and Haley agreed that Harry hadn't accepted his new reality yet and that it would take time. The only thing that concerned them was the strong attachment Harry seemed to make with them, always wanting to be in the same room. What concerned the couple more was how much they both wanted him there.

Over the course of the next four days, Harry spent the mornings and nights with the Hotchners, quickly stealing both of their hearts. Haley sat with him and worked to make sure he knew that he was a child and it was her job to take care of him, not the other way around. Harry still insisted in making them breakfast every morning. Thankfully he stuck to cold foods and the toaster after Haley and Hotch rushed downstairs that first morning when they realized neither of them were responsible for the bacon and pancakes they smelled cooking.

During the day, Hotch took Harry to work with him as it was part of the agreement that Harry would be in the presence of an FBI agent at all times. At first, Harry was told he could play in the corner of Gideon's office with some toys borrowed from the playroom. That way he would be in sight, but not hear anything going on outside. However, Harry had no interest in the toys. More importantly, he did not want to be away from Hotch. And so the team resigned themselves to Harry sitting beside Hotch's desk in the bullpen. While rarely speaking, it soon became clear that Harry was listening to everything when he pointed out a mistake Agent Bends made in their suspect pool.

Impressing everyone and receiving praise, Harry started to come out of his shell, asking questions and giving insightful answers when asked what he thought about things. It was this curiosity and intelligence that led to him bonding with Spencer Reid. Unlike most children – and even most adults - Harry wasn't at all confused or bored with Reid's rambling explanations. He always asked to know more, which is why Reid took Hotch aside after the second day Harry was in the office.

"I think Harry's a genius," Reid said bluntly. "Not that intelligence can really be quantified-"

"Reid," Hotch interrupted.

"Right," Spencer said. "From what I've seen, Harry shows many signs of a high IQ, especially in his observation and deductive reasoning skills. I think we should have him tested."

And so, the third morning of Harry's stay at the BAU saw Hotch dropping Harry off at a psychologist's office located in the same building at Quantico after reassuring him they would see each other at lunch. While the doctor didn't normally see children, let alone test if they were gifted, she was qualified and spent the whole morning running Harry through various tests.

At lunch she delivered her findings to Hotch, Reid, and Gideon, who also wanted to know how Harry was doing. It came as no surprise to Reid that Harry was indeed a "genius" as he suspected. It did surprise all of them when the doctor asked to keep Harry for the afternoon to do a mental health evaluation, suspecting that the damage the Dursleys did was much more mental and emotional then physical.

Her conclusion and suggestions for moving forward had Hotch and Haley whispering to each other late that night, neither one able to fall asleep.

Harry had several issues they needed to work through, the most pressing being Reactive Attachment Disorder. Harry did not trust or form attachments easily, which is why it was so concerning that he developed a close relationship with the Hotchners. Normally it would be a good thing, but his placement with them was only until the unsub who murdered his relatives was caught. To send Harry to a new home with strangers in a foreign environment would be detrimental to him at this stage, almost guaranteeing Harry would never form a close relationship with anyone and most likely developing more violent tendencies later. It's why the psychologist posed the question of a more permanent guardianship with Hotch and his wife.

"It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world," Haley whispered. "He needs us."

"I thought we were going to wait until I settled in more at the BAU, and didn't you want to continue teaching another year?" Hotch asked.

"Well it's not like I'll be pregnant for nine months and have to take maternity leave." Haley rolled her eyes.

"If we do this, we can't give him back."

Haley settled her chin on Aaron's chest and looked him calmly in the eye. "Do you want to give him back right now?"

Hotch breathed in. "No."

"Then what makes you think you'll ever change your mind?"

It was a good thing the couple talked that night because the next day when Hotch went into the office, he was told they had arrested the unsub. The man was thirty-one years old and had been abandoned in the nation's capital when he was seven by his parents. They were illegal immigrants from Columbia that had left their son in the hopes that their leaving him with no identification would keep him from being deported and have a good life in America. Instead, he was shuffled from foster home to foster home, suffering abuse from several older boys that led to a fall down the stairs and a broken femur that left him with a noticeable limp. His life never got much better, but the stressor came when his girlfriend, who happened to be a single mother of a young boy, left him for another man. The night she broke up with him was the night he killed his first family. They were eating out at the restaurant he had eaten at with his parents before they left him. The Dursleys had gone to the same restaurant. The two families' accents and conversation topics had clearly told the unsub they were tourists, which is why he picked them. It also explained why he left Harry alive in the closet. He simply didn't know he was there, having not seen him at the restaurant.

The case was closed and Harry's social worker informed. When Ms. Taylor came to collect Harry, Hotch very firmly told her that wouldn't be necessary and asked for the paperwork to become Harry's permanent guardian with intention to adopt. Within two days, Harry was officially his ward. Haley and Hotch would have to wait a few more months to adopt him, but as there were no other family members – Marge Dursley refused to take Harry in – and they fulfilled all the requirements, the Hotchners were happy to call Harry their son that very day.

Ms. Taylor was quite pleased.

...

If any of you have questions about the team: In season 1 episode 1, Hotch said he's been with the BAU 2 years. Most of the other BAU members we know and love have said they'd been with the unit for only a year before the first episode. I'll bring them on in due time.

Also, Haley's profession is never mentioned, but I can't see her as just a housewife especially before having kids, so I made her a school teacher. Why? I don't know it just seemed like a good fit?

I'm not too sure about the title. If you have a suggestion, let me know and if it fits what I want to happen, I'll consider it.

Also, Harry is not going to be super and powerful just because. He IS going to reach his potential unlike in canon where his gifts were suppressed by the Dursleys and peer pressure. He didn't study compulsively, but still managed to get pretty good grades on his OWLs, so you know he's smart. Plus, he becomes an auror in canon, so you know he's got a detective in him.

One last thing: IF there is any character bashing in the future - IF! - then know that there will _probably_ also be character redemption...probably.

Not to be a comment ho, but reviews give me life. ;)


	2. The First Year Part I

Just to answer some questions from reviewers:

1) Yes, Jack will be in this fic, but he won't be born for another couple years. This is 2 years before episode 1, at which time Haley is still preggers.

2) This will not be Harry/Spencer. Come on guys, Spence turns 24 in season one. 24-2 years means he's 22 here, so there's a 16 year difference, and Harry is a KID. That's wrong. Spence is more of a big brother/uncle figure here. Will I ever write Harry/Spence in future? No. Sorry, but I have OTPs and that's not one of mine. If you want it, I have nothing against it as long as its legal, but I know I won't write it nor a Criminal Minds crossover with one of DC's live action shows. I watch(ed) them. I like them. I just don't like them enough to write a fanfic of them.

3) I WISH I was organized enough to have scheduled updates. As it is, my job operates on a chaotic work schedule, so it's whenever I have time and am motivated enough to write. Sometimes that means every week, sometimes that means a couple months can go by.

4) Someone suggested the title Magic of the Mind, which...I actually like. Guess I'll have to change my cover art...

One other thing I feel I should mention – obviously Harry Potter and Criminal Minds takes place during different times. For the sake of this fic, we're going with the Criminal Minds timeline, meaning the prologue took place August 2003, season 1 takes places 2005-2006, and Harry will turn eleven in 2008. The Harry Potter timeline will just be moved up 17 years. I know it's an odd number. I wish it could just be an easy 15 or 20 years, but I have plot planned for later. So, Harry was born 1997, his parents were still 21 when they died in 1998, and Dumbledore is just really freaking old and doesn't die until he wants to. Okay?

Also, this chapter got way too long, so I'm making it Part I and Part II

Hope you guys enjoy it!

PS: I don't own any of these characters.

…

The First Year Part I

...

The moment the Dursleys were murdered, the artifacts in Albus Dumbledore's office monitoring the blood wards on Privet Drive either stopped working or let off an alarm. As Dumbledore had been down at breakfast at the time and then went about his duties, he didn't learn of this until several hours later when he returned to his office. He immediately flooed to Arabella Figg's house, his panicked appearance startling the old woman sitting with her cats.

"What happened?" he demanded. As Mrs. Figg had no idea what he was talking about, Dumbledore instead hurried out of the house and down the street to the house marked Number 4. Checking to make sure no one was watching, Dumbledore discreetly used his wand to cast some revealing charms. With no one inside, he let himself in and found nothing out of the ordinary.

By this time, Mrs. Figg had caught up with the headmaster and informed him that the Dursleys had bragged to their neighbors about spending a week in the United States Capitol due to how hard Vernon worked.

This did not ease Dumbledore's mind. The only ways the blood wards would have broken before Harry's seventeenth birthday were if he no longer considered his Aunt Petunia family...or if there was no longer a living blood relative to tie him to the home. Without the blood wards to keep away wizards with ill intent, Harry would be extremely vulnerable, especially as he was now in a foreign country with no way for Dumbledore to locate him.

Because of Harry's fame, Dumbledore had cast a mail redirection charm on him as a baby before leaving him with the Dursleys. Dumbledore had thought it a good idea with the hundreds of letters and packages sent to him over the years that were currently being stored in a locked room deep within Hogwarts. If only he had been paranoid enough to put a tracking charm on him as well. The redirection charm would only break on Harry's eleventh birthday so that he could receive his Hogwarts letter, but Dumbledore could not wait that long.

He had to find Harry Potter.

With determination fulling him, he sent out messages to his contacts in the United States and to former Order of the Phoenix members who would be willing and able to help.

It was actually Mrs. Figg who contributed the first useful bit of information. About a week after Harry went missing, Marge Dursley showed up on Privet Drive to manage the Dursley's affairs, wailing to any and all about her poor brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. They were murdered in their hotel room. "Uncultured savages," Marge had called the Americans, slaughtering her only family left.

Mrs. Figg took the opportunity to ask about Harry while pretending to console her. After all, if there was one benefit to living on Privet Drive all these years, it was learning how to prod information out of people.

"How horrible a person must be to kill four innocent people," she said.

Marge scoffed. "Four?" she asked rhetorically. "I assume you're talking about that brat nephew of Petunia's? If only he had been killed instead of my poor nephie-poo!" Marge dissolved into tears again. But this gave Arabella hope. It would seem Harry was still alive.

After informing Dumbledore, she suggested that he look into muggle news articles in Washington D.C. in the last week. Surely such gruesome murders would be reported?

Doing so, Dumbledore learned how and why the Dursleys were killed and that the culprit was a muggle serial killer. He completely ignored the details of the case, such as it being solved by the BAU, as he was only looking for what happened to Harry. However, the only mention Dumbledore found was a short line about the Dursleys' nephew surviving the attack. The news said nothing on Harry's current whereabouts.

And so, Dumbledore found himself back at square one with no way to locate Harry Potter. He leaned on his foreign contacts to find the boy, but his few contacts in the MACUSA didn't have authorization for Harry's government file, which was sealed and given classified status. Unlike the British Ministry of Magic, the MACUSA had only recently started working with the nonmagical government. To gain access by going through proper channels would bring to much attention to Harry. Instead, Dumbledore and his recruits resorted to looking through public records, particularly school records, but no "Harry Potter" ever showed up.

The only thing Dumbledore knew for sure was that Harry Potter was alive, somewhere in the United States.

...

There weren't many issues to be sorted out in the first few days of Harry officially becoming a member of the Hotchner household. As he was already living there prior to the decision to adopt, he knew the rules he had to follow and why, most being for his own safety. No, the problems were more technical in nature. One was the question of his citizenship. As his guardians were full citizens, Harry was filed as a temporary resident. Once the adoption went through, he would be a full American citizen. Harry would also retain his British citizenship until the age of eighteen, at which time he could file to retain his dual citizenship or to drop one or the other.

When filling out the paperwork, Haley and Aaron asked Harry if he wanted to keep his last name Potter or if he wanted to drop it in exchange for Hotchner. He also had the option of hyphenating the two.

Harry, who had been told all his life that his parents were good for nothing drunks, didn't really feel attached to the name of Potter. He loved his new parents who wanted to be called mum – or _mom_ as it was pronounced here in the states – and dad. He was happy to be called a Hotchner. Saying exactly that, Aaron and Haley smiled, while inside their stomachs churned with mixed feelings. Hotch then told Harry that while he was proud to have him as a son, perhaps he should wait to drop the Potter name.

"The Dursleys weren't very honest people Harry," Hotch pointed out. "I know what they told you, but they could have lied to you about your parents just as they lied to your neighbors and teachers about you."

This idea shocked Harry and he blinked at the thought of his birth parents being good people.

"Could we find out?" he asked hopefully. Hotch smiled and agreed to investigate.

As it was, the final name put onto the request for adoption forms was Harry James Potter-Hotchner.

The final question for Harry's new life demanded an answer just two weeks after Harry came to stay with them. After the Dursleys' murder case was solved, Harry stayed home with Haley, bonding with his new mother who would take him to visit Hotch every day at lunch. Harry missed being at the BAU and would beg to go to Quantico. One morning he got his wish, as Haley had to go in for teacher's meetings and make sure everything was set up for when the new school year started. When she came to pick Harry up at lunch, she and Hotch talked about Harry's own schooling. He should have been going into first grade, but both were unsure if it was best for him.

They consulted Reid, Gideon, and the Dr. Oxland, the psychologist who first examined Harry, and together they all agreed it would be best to homeschool Harry for a year to work out his social anxieties and other psychological issues caused by the Dursley's abuse.

Spencer Reid was both elated and highly supportive of this decision and was one of Harry's best tutors. With his help, they concluded that Harry was currently about a year ahead of his grade level and could easily gain two years of schooling in half that time with the right guidance. Happily, Harry started to complete his homework assignments at a desk next to Hotch's. The BAU had allowed the setup while Harry was in potential danger, but as they had returned to normal operations, Chief Strauss vehemently protested the arrangement.

"The bullpen is not a daycare!" she shouted. "Exposing a child to the types of cases we work is highly irresponsible-"

"With all due respect," Reid timidly intervened, "Harry's already been exposed."

Strauss narrowed her eyes in a glare at the young profiler.

It took Gideon talking with her behind closed doors for Strauss to allow Harry to spend his days at Quantico, but only under certain conditions. For one, he could only spend two days of the week in the BAU bullpen. He had to be in the daycare center Quantico offered its employees at all other times. This allowance itself came with conditions. Harry could not have any part in the cases they worked, nor could he be disruptive. If he took any significant time away from the agents, the arrangement would end. He also had to be supervised at all times. If a case took the unit away from Quantico when Harry was with them, he would be escorted down to the daycare and picked up by Haley at an appropriate time. Harry's sessions with Dr. Oxland would also be increased from once a week to at least twice a week in hour long sessions.

Strauss had been the one to suggest the last guideline. While she had only met Harry twice, each of those times she'd been in his presence enough to understand exactly why the other profilers wanted to keep him around. He radiated innocence, but not ignorance. In fact, Harry was wise far beyond his years, and despite – or maybe because – of his own experience, he felt a deep compassion for the victims of such horrible crimes. It didn't hurt that he was also incredibly talented and well behaved; there hadn't been a single problem caused by Harry. More impressive to Strauss was the determination lighting his eyes when confronted with a mystery, a fire burning even brighter when he was told of how the BAU brought criminals to face justice.

Strauss would never allow an innocent child to study gruesome murders committed by the trash of humanity, but Harry wasn't exactly innocent. The horrors that parents try to protect their children from had gotten to Harry, and there was no going back. She saw it in his eyes, even when he was smiling. There was a deep world-wariness and inner pain that lingered in his bright green eyes. The way he could stare at her and seem to see past every mask she wore into her very core was almost unsettling. Yet, there was no anger. No hatred. Instead she saw acceptance and, when Harry was with Hotch, Reid, or Gideon, a slight glimmer of hope. From what she read in Harry's medical report, he'd spent the last five years in hell, never being given the chance to be a child. In the end that's why she conceded, knowing just as Hotch and Gideon did that now that Harry had been shown this way of life, a way of fighting against the wrongs of the world, he felt a compulsion to be a part of it.

It made Strauss truly pity the boy. He was only six years old. A child shouldn't feel the need to _do_ something like this; to protect, to fight for himself and for others. She consoled herself that maybe this was the best option for him. Harry had been broken by his relatives, by all the tragedy he'd experienced, including the loss of his parents. Perhaps by guiding Harry, she and the other agents could keep an eye on him and hopefully keep him from walking a much darker path. Maybe by compromising, they could force him to have as much of a childhood as he could allow himself to enjoy. Perhaps they could give him the tools he needed to one day heal.

…

Harry was very happy with his new life. For the first time that he could remember, he had a real family that loved him. His mother was so loving and always willing to hug him or ruffle his hair. Mummy made him laugh and smile and brought joy wherever she went. His father was different, but no less loving. He was quieter, but steadier. Daddy always made Harry feel safe, and Harry loved when he was allowed to sit on his lap, strong arms holding him close. Harry would look up and see the soft smile on his daddy's face and know he was truly happy Harry was there.

Harry had gained more than parents though. He now had other people who liked him! Spencer was the best. He taught Harry how to read really fast and never got mad when he asked questions. Spencer and his new parents wanted Harry to do his best in everything he did, unlike the Dursleys who got mad when he did better than Dudley. It was odd at first, getting praised for learning something, but Harry grew to crave that feeling of accomplishment. He wanted to make everyone proud, even Uncle Gideon.

Spencer had told Harry to call Gideon that as an experiment to see how the older man would react. They weren't really sure what it meant though when the only reaction was a slight uplift at the corners of Gideon's lips before he returned to his crossword puzzle. He didn't tell Harry not to call him that though, so he continued and the moniker just stuck.

Harry had a real bedroom with toys he could play with, and his parents always fed him until he was full. They also gave him new glasses, and the world had never been so clear. The headaches Harry used to get were now a thing of the past along with his blurry vision. He could think so much faster than before without the constant low-grade pain in the back of his head.

He got stronger too. Mummy insisted on him playing some sport so that he could meet other kids his age. He'd spent a few days with daddy playing the different games, and he'd liked some of them, like baseball and basketball. Those were apparently spring sports though, and he didn't care for any of the fall sports like football. The question of what social activity Harry would join was solved by Agent Bends after he offered to take Harry down to Quantico's training facility about a month into his new life. There, the large agent attempted to teach Harry some fighting techniques. Bends was sidelined though when two women scolded him for teaching him boxing.

"Are you stupid?" the curvy blonde asked. "You shouldn't be teaching the kid boxing. Look at him!"

At first Harry just thought they didn't want him fighting at all, but the petite, dark-skinned brunette added, "He's too young for that. He doesn't have the size or strength for boxing. If he tries to box with an attacker he'd be killed. He needs Krav Maga or Tae Kwon Do." She turned to Harry. "Luckily I know both." She grinned and winked at him.

When Harry returned sweaty and with a large bruise on his arm, Hotch was understandably concerned despite the wide grin covering his son's face. His worries were immediately put to rest though as Harry excitedly regaled Hotch with how he learned to fight off and escape Agent Bends, a muscular man well over six feet. Harry then turned to Hotch with puppy dog eyes asking if he could learn Martial Arts. Hotch and Haley easily agreed. Harry was put into a beginner Tae Kwon Do class where he surprised everyone with his success at both picking up the moves and making friends with the other boys and girls.

Harry's life was so jarringly different compared to when he was with the Dursleys, and even though he was told constantly that he was loved and that he wouldn't get in trouble for accidents, he couldn't help but feel like something was going to go terribly wrong. At first Harry felt this way every moment of every day, but as time went on and he relaxed into his new life with his family, the feeling went away.

The only time it bubbled up was when he'd accidently done something freakish. He didn't always understand why what he was doing was wrong nor how he was doing it. He just felt this tingly sensation inside when he wanted something, and then the tingle got stronger before disappearing just as he got what he wanted. He tried his best to hide it from his parents, but his daddy was one of the best profilers, he was bound to notice eventually. Harry could only hope that when it happened, they didn't punish him like Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia did.

Though Harry hadn't cried in a long time, he didn't think he'd be able to live with his mummy and daddy hating him.

…

There was something odd about Harry.

Haley and Aaron had to admit that there were actually many things odd about Harry, but those could be explained away by his intelligence or his experience in an abusive home. But there was one thing about him that couldn't be explained, and though they loved Harry, they couldn't deny that in the past four months, there always seemed to be something odd happening around him.

At first, they could brush off the occurrences as little quirks, such as Harry hissing at a small black garden snake while he and Haley were playing outside. Kids have imagination after all. Haley quickly pulled him away and told him not to play with snakes because they could bite him. Harry was adamant that the snake wouldn't bite him, but still promised to keep his distance. She and Aaron still caught him hissing at the occasional snake from a safe distance away when he thought they weren't watching.

Harry also seemed to find any object in the house within moments, even if his parents had been searching for over ten minutes. But Harry had proven he was observant and logical and had probably seen Haley and Hotch misplace whatever they were looking for the last time they had used it.

Then there were the events that they simply shrugged off as luck. Harry tumbling all the way down the stairs and not even getting a bruise was such a relief they didn't question his good fortune. Whenever Harry dropped something that his parents were sure should have broken, the object simply bounced off the ground, completely intact.

It was luck.

And yet, there were other occurrences that Haley and Aaron could neither brush aside nor explain. For instance, Aaron could have sworn he saw one of the only two action figures Harry played with moving by itself once. When he examined the toy later though, it was all made of one piece of plastic and didn't bend or move in any way.

One day after Haley and Harry had built a pillow fort in the living room, they were cleaning it all up and Harry simply tossed the pillows in the air with barely a glance at the couch and chairs. Yet, they all landed perfectly in position. It was even more surprising when Harry threw the blanket into the air and it hovered as though carried by a breeze before settling evenly over the back of the couch.

Just recently while setting up the Christmas tree, Hotch had accidently backed into the spruce while trying to untangle the lights. It certainly looked like it would fall onto Harry, who was sitting right next to it, but after a moment of hovering over him, the tree fell back into place with barely a wobble.

There were also the many times Harry was caught with a book that had been deliberately put out of his reach. Much to Haley's displeasure, Harry loved reading the true crime books in Hotch's office. She supposed his prior exposure to the subject made him want answers about what kind of people would do such things and why. She didn't like it, but she accepted the argument that teaching him about it in a controlled manner would help him more than trying to shelter him when it was already too late for that. As a compromise, Haley encouraged him to look at the history of crime and its legalities to keep him away from the gorier details for as long as possible. It still didn't distract her from the fact that Harry should not have been able to get ahold of those books in the first place, having been locked up in Aaron's office on the highest shelves.

The odd occurrences only increased the longer Harry was with them. It all came to a head when Hotch brought up James and Lily Potter's files. One of the tech analysists had put together everything that could be found on Harry's birth parents and to say it was strange would be an understatement.

Lily Potter nee Evans had lived a mostly normal life in the south of England until she was eleven and a half. The autumn of that year, she attended a private boarding school and seemingly dropped off the radar. While she had a driver's license, she didn't own a car. Nor did she have any record of employment, and only one credit card that she barely used. There was a marriage certificate to James Charlus Potter filed in July of 1995 and a home address in a small town called Godric's Hollow. Finally, there was a death certificate with the date October 31, 1998. Included in the file was a newspaper article saying that the Potters were killed when part of their cottage exploded from a gas leak. However, when Hotch investigated further, he found there was no autopsy report, and therefore, no official Cause of Death. It simply stated that they died in the explosion.

The whole report just seemed…_off_.

James Potter's report was even more so, mostly because it was practically bare. No record of where he was born, just a birth certificate that said he was the son to Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. No school records of any kind until the age of eleven when he went to the same private boarding school as Lily. No employment records. No credit cards. No driver's license. No bank accounts. No criminal record. Nothing. Nothing except three certificates of his birth, marriage to Lily Evans, and death.

There wasn't even a will on file and considering Lily and James had been parents for over a year at the time of their deaths, that was suspicious. Hotch didn't know a single parent that didn't have a plan in place for their child if something should happen to them.

While he had been happy to tell Harry that his parents didn't die in a car accident while they were drunk, that was about all he could tell him.

It frustrated Hotch to no end.

After months of researching, Hotch had to admit that he had hit a wall and needed help. He confided in Gideon that he was trying to learn about Harry's birth parents, but there was barely any record of them. There were also very few people who were close to the Potters listed in the file, and they were all dead, so contacting them was out.

Gideon listened to Hotch's explanation, eyes narrowing when the private school Lily and James attended was mentioned.

"What was it called again?" he asked slowly.

Hotch huffed. "Hogwarts School for the Gifted."

Gideon's face went completely blank before he stood up. "I need to make a call," he said shortly as he hurried to his office and shut the door firmly.

Hotch was fully aware that Gideon knew something but would only reveal it when he had a full answer. He returned to filling out paperwork while Gideon was in his office calling up his old friend and partner, David Rossi.

Former Agent Rossi had traveled all over the world and seen many strange things. He delighted in telling stories of his escapades while somehow never revealing anything confidential. However, there was one instance about ten years ago when Rossi told a story about his second wife, Hayden Montgomery. She was a French diplomat at the time of their short marriage and would often receive visitors in their home. This particular story featured two French professors wearing medieval style robes and a dinner that ended with a frog in every teacup and him speaking backwards for a day. When Gideon asked how that had happened, Rossi smirked ruefully.

"You don't want to know," he said. "I've seen a lot of strange things in my life, but what I learned from those Beauxbatons professors takes the cake. At least the knowledge has come in handy over the years, and the meeting could have gone a lot worse."

"How so?" Gideon asked.

"They could have been from Hogwarts," Rossi stated. "Apparently their headmaster is nuttier than a porta potty at a peanut festival."

Gideon had never thought much on that conversation, but Hotch saying "Hogwarts" had brought the memory rushing back.

When Rossi finally answered his phone, Gideon didn't bother with any pleasantries.

"Tell me what you know about Hogwarts and a couple named Lily and James Potter."

…

Everyone still interested? My chaotic writing style not too much? I'll admit, trying to world and character build with 90% summarization is hard, so I hope I'm doing okay. But again, this is the basis for the main plot. There are going to be some big time skips after the next chapter.


	3. Holiday Interlude

So I had a couple people comment on Ginny being tagged and asked if this was going to be Harry/Ginny. One even asked to know, so they could stop reading now if it was. I'll admit I got a little mad at that. I can understand if that's not your cup of tea, but I hope you continue to give this story a chance. Mainly because:

I don't know if this is going to be Harry/Ginny. I don't have any definitive plan for who Harry ends up with, if he ends up with anyone.

As I explained my reasoning to one reviewer in a PM, romance is NOT a big plot point in this fic, which is why it's not tagged as a theme. Why? Because my Harry, like canon Harry, has never had a strong, consistent example of a healthy romantic relationship, and is therefore going to be very confused about romance and how romantic relationships work. The Dursleys didn't have a healthy marriage or family dynamic. The Hotchners got divorced in the show (not saying if it will or will not happen in this fic). Gideon is single with an estranged son. Rossi's been married and divorced 3 times. Morgan is mostly a playboy, but shares a (while platonic) very flirtatious relationship with Garcia even while she's in a committed relationship for a good while starting season 3. Elle and Emily never really dated, instead focusing on their career. And poor Spencer is forever alone! (I love that adorkable nerd, but he's so awkward around women, especially in the first few seasons.) JJ is the only one with a healthy relationship, but even she hides her relationship with Will for a year.

Do you see what I'm getting at? Our views on romance and relationships are directly impacted by the relationships we are surrounded with growing up. It affects what we think on the opposite gender, on our own gender, our sexuality, how we put ourselves out there, how _much_ we put ourselves out there, how we act in a romantic relationship, our expectations of ourselves and our partners, how we react to conflict in our relationships…everything. Harry has had a lot of examples, but the variance and inconsistency of those relationships impacted him and it's going to show.

Now, I hope I didn't give too much away with that or will with this: Ginny is tagged because she will become friends with Harry and play a large role in his life. "Why her?" some of you may ask. Well, there's a reason, but it's coming later. I promise it will make sense when we get there. For now, think of her as the Garcia to Harry's Morgan.

IF I pair Harry with ANYONE, it will not be anytime soon, and I would hope that my writing skills are good enough to do it in a way that even people who dislike that character could tolerate it. If I read a really well-written fanfic that then introduces a couple I usually don't ship, I don't mind it because the author has made it so natural, like the characters really have fallen in love, and there's no other character that that version of them could be with. But again, ROMANCE IS NOT A PLOT POINT IN THIS STORY!

Does that answer your question?

I take back what I said last chapter. The title of the story will remain Magic Meet Mind, partly because I like the alliteration, partly because a lot of people have read the first 2 chapters and I don't want to confuse them, and partly because I think I'll have Harry say the title in badass way sometime in the future...and also partly because I like my cover art. Still, kudos to the person who suggested "Magic of the Mind"; I really do like it, hope you're not too disappointed I won't use it.

*Important note for the chapter: Rappaport's Law was instituted in 1790 by the MACUSA and made it illegal for any witch or wizard to interact with nonmagicals.

If you see (*) by a sentence, there's more info on that at the end.

Now, onto the fic.

...

Holiday Interlude

...

Agent Bends left the BAU a week before Christmas. He had married and was starting a family, so he transferred to a department with more regular hours. The unit met his replacement, Agent Derek Morgan, the day after, though Morgan wouldn't officially start as a profiler until the new year.

That same say, Gideon told Hotch that Rossi had invited them all over for dinner three days before Christmas. Soon enough, the day came. Arriving at Rossi's mansion early in the evening, the Hotchners and Gideon were met with a stern looking man alongside Rossi who was introduced as Auror Tiberius Hawkins. That led to the question of just what an Auror was.

Though Haley and Aaron were first disbelieving of the idea of magic and the magical world, they were quickly stunned into silence after Hawkins turned the table into a cow.

Hotch looked slowly over to Rossi and Hawkins. "You were saying?" he prompted.

Over the next hour, Rossi and Hawkins explained to Gideon, Haley, Aaron, and Harry about the magical world that was hidden from No-Majs, or muggles as the Europeans called them. Rossi had learned of the magical world from his ex-wife, Hayden. When a later case brought him in touch with the magical world, he was able to work with the American aurors to smooth things over on his side while they took the wizarding murderer into custody. From then on, Rossi was one of the few FBI agents recruited to work with the MACUSA Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was a relatively new joint venture, as until the second World War, it was illegal for any American magical to interact with a No-Maj.

But World War II had forced the MACUSA to repeal Rappaport's Law after almost 200 years in effect as so many witches and wizards had joined the fight*. The magical government was forced to reveal itself to several high-level government officials and work together to keep the magical world hidden from the general populace. Though it had been decades since then, it was only in the last twenty years the American magical community had become more integrated with the nonmagical world. This was due to the spike in first generation (muggleborn) witches and wizards that brought their culture with them. Nonmagical parents were finally allowed to know of the magical world as a result. To better the country, the MACUSA also allowed a few agents working for their nonmagical counterparts to know of magic if they proved a trustworthy asset.

Hawkins and Rossi had worked together on four separate cases and stayed in touch even after Rossi retired. And so, it was Hawkins that Rossi had turned to when Gideon called him asking about Hogwarts.

After all this was explained, the subject finally turned to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Harry's parents attended.

At this, Haley and Hotch turned to look at Harry. During the explanation, they had known in the back of their minds the reason why they were being told such a large secret.

"Harry's a wizard," Hotch monotoned.

"Yes," Hawkins confirmed. "I would assume you've noticed a bit of accidental magic in the time you've had him. Don't worry. That's normal for kids his age." Hawkins curiously studied the boy. Harry's eyes kept flickering between the adults. Though he tried to keep a blank face, his eyes were wide with uncertainty.

Haley immediately knelt in front of her son, knowing exactly where his thoughts had gone. "Harry, look at me," she said gently. "This doesn't change anything. I love you. Your father loves you. You are our son and we will never abandon you. I know what your aunt and uncle told you, but they were wrong. They probably knew about your magic and hated it, but it's not something to hate," she said fervently. "It's magic!" she said with a smile. "It's different, yes, and I don't understand it yet, but I know it can be wonderful because _you_ are wonderful. I love you with or without magic."

"Your mother's right, Harry," Aaron scooted next to him on the couch and lightly wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. "You're our son. We could never stop loving you."

Harry trembled for a moment before breaking down in sobs. Haley clutched him to her chest tightly and rocked him, both her and Hotch whispering reassurances to him. Eventually he calmed down. Though he remained silent, his parents took over asking about magic and the new world they found themselves a part of.

Unfortunately, Hawkins broke the news to them about how Harry's birth parents really died. It was a tale known the world over, so he was able to fully explain about the dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort and his reign of terror on the British magical community until he was stopped by Harry as a baby. Of course, the Hotchners didn't accept that a baby was able to stop a fully grown, powerful wizard and instead attributed it to something his parents had done.

Knowing that his parents weren't the horrible people his relatives portrayed them as calmed something in Harry. Sitting next to the couple who chose him, listening as they asked question after question in concern for _him_, he fully accepted for the first time ever that he was wanted. He had always been wanted. His parents died protecting him. The empty hole Harry had felt during his time with the Dursleys watching other kids have parents to dote on them burned for what could have been. Unlike all other times though, the pain quickly eased, soothed by the presence of his new parents and even the presence of his birth parents. Somehow, Harry felt an innate knowledge that seemed to whisper that it was okay. James and Lily wanted him to be happy. They loved him and it was okay to love his new mother and father. He felt completely at peace at finally _knowing_ who he was.

Harry was suddenly very happy that he had kept Potter as part of his last name.

To help the Hotchners, Hawkins, who turned out to be quite kind, told them how to find more information. First, he gave them instructions on how contact him if they had further questions, but to do that, they would need an owl. More specifically, they would need an owl bred by wizards to deliver mail. Luckily Washington D.C. had such a high population of wizards and witches that they had their own magical shopping center cleverly hidden inside Pentagon City Mall* on its own floor. Harry would be the only one who could see the various stairway entrances at first, but once they'd passed the wards, Haley and Aaron would be able to see and enter the area on their own any time after.

Hawkins gave them plenty of advice for visiting the Pentagon Magical Mall, as they called it. Their first stop would have to be at D.C.'s branch of Gringotts Wizarding Bank – run by goblins – to exchange their money for magical currency and to check if Harry had an inheritance. Hawkins warned Aaron and Haley to bring proof that they had custody of Harry, or else the goblins would deny them access. Afterwards, the family could visit the bookstore, Truncare & Gloss, where they could find all of the information they'd need to understand the American Magical World. Hotch had to be reassured that that included history and magical law.

The last helpful tidbit Hawkins had left them with was the name of a wizard who came to the United States several months ago and had visited the Wizarding Resources Department of the MACUSA to look for information on Harry Potter. Remus Lupin. Hawkins only knew his name because a colleague had introduced him, a colleague who had contact with Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Aforementioned colleague had also let slip that Harry Potter was missing and that Dumbledore was trying to find him.

Aaron and Haley were both suitably concerned at this.

"I don't know what Dumbledore plans to do if he actually finds Harry, but you can be sure that he won't hear his whereabouts from me," Hawkins promised. "As for Lupin, I can tell you that he seemed like a good man; polite, respectful, intelligent, genuinely worried about Harry. He looked like sh-," Hawkins cut himself off with a glance at the six-year-old, "uh, like he needed some sleep, but I've learned to be a good judge of character in my line of work. I did some digging and made a call to a British auror I know. Turns out Lupin was a friend of the Potters." Hawkins shrugged. "Might be worth contacting him."

When the Hotchners left that night, their heads were spinning with everything they had been told. They hadn't even learned a fraction about the magical world. It would be a steep learning curve in raising a magical child and becoming a part of their world, for Haley and Aaron agreed as they laid in bed that they would not leave Harry to swim in uncharted waters. If Harry belonged to the magical world, they would work to belong as well.

The family made the trip to the mall the next day and were pleasantly surprised to find they didn't stand out too much in the magical section. Some of the older generation were wearing floor-length robes, but the majority were wearing jeans and winter coats like the Hotchners. It seemed fashion was one aspect of nonmagical culture that American wizards had adopted.

Haley visibly startled at her first sight of an actual goblin but blinked away her shock and smiled politely at the armor-clad goblins guarding the doors. After asking a teller if they could look up the Potter's account, they were told to follow a goblin through a set of halls to a meeting room with an older goblin.

The sharp-toothed goblin called Caybrick informed them that they would need a drop of Harry's blood to confirm his identity, and then he could receive all account information. Aaron and Haley also showed him the paperwork that declared them Harry's legal guardians so that they could also access and manage his accounts until he came of age. Once that was done, Caybrick went over the Potter's banking information. Harry had inherited everything in the Potter family vault and the Potter trust vault. Exchanging and accessing the money from overseas was easy, but the items stored in the London branch vaults could only be removed in person.

Hotch took the chance to ask a question that had been on his mind ever since he'd learned the truth of Harry's parentage. "Did the Potter's have a will by any chance?"

Caybrick narrowed his eyes. He shuffled the parchments in front of him until he came to the right one. "Yes. It says here the Potters had a shared will. It was last updated October 15th of 1998." Caybrick looked up and said gravely, "The will was never read nor carried out to its full extent. Harry, as the last descendant of the Potters, automatically received all monies and items left by his parents at the time of their deaths, aside from any monetary bequests Gringotts in its capacity could uphold. However, bequests involving legalities upheld by the British Ministry of Magic were outside of our capacity and were not carried out."

Hotch blinked. "Why not?"

"There are always two copies of a witch or wizard's will. One's stored in Gringotts and one's stored with their government in their records department. The copy of the Potter's will at the British Ministry of Magic was sealed," Caybrick replied. "The documentation is quite clear that it was sealed by Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. He is one of the few who'd have authorization to seal a will."

Hotch frowned and looked at Haley then down at Harry, who's expression matched his perfectly.

"Is it possible to receive a copy of that will?"

Caybrick grinned.

…

Hotch had much to do after that shopping trip. For one, he had to investigate the people James and Lily listed to take guardianship of Harry in case of their deaths. For another, he had to investigate Albus Dumbledore. The man had completely gone against the Potters' wishes by placing Harry with the Dursleys. The will specifically stated that Harry was _never_ to be given to Petunia and Vernon Dursley. He was to first go to his godfather, Sirius Black. Next was his godmother* and her husband, Alice and Frank Longbottom. These were the people it was most urgent to find, as Caybrick informed him that being a godparent held more meaning in the magical world. There were certain responsibilities that went along with the title purely because magic made it so. The magical guardianship automatically transferred to godparents after the parents' deaths, even if they did not have legal guardianship or custody of the child. They were the ones who could make decisions for Harry when it came to his part in the magical world, not Aaron or Haley.

After Harry's godparents, five other people were listed: Andromeda and Ted Tonks, Peter Pettigrew, Minerva McGonagall, and Alastor Moody. A handwritten note by James Potter stated that Remus Lupin would be listed as well if the "bloody ministry wasn't so strict about Moony's 'furry little problem'". Hotch had no idea what that meant, but it did confirm that Lupin was a family friend and trusted with Harry.

Harry himself was immersed in the books they had bought on magical history and wizarding customs. At the rate he was going, they would be making another trip to the bookstore before New Year's. It was times like these that made Hotch wish Reid hadn't taught Harry how to speed read. Speaking of which, Gideon had called to tell him that he'd been contacted by the MACUSA. Apparently, Hawkins' superiors were impressed with Hotch and the BAU. They wanted to know if their unit would be interested in helping their aurors every so often. While that would help Aaron gain contacts in the magical world to help Harry, there would probably be a lot more paperwork and bureaucratic nonsense involved.

Hotch really didn't want to think about that at the moment. He already had enough headaches.

Despite the upheaval they'd just experienced, Aaron, Haley, and Harry were able to enjoy their first Christmas together as a family. No cases came up that took Hotch away, and he and Haley happily spoiled Harry with all the traditions he had never gotten to be a part of before. They spent all of Christmas Eve baking cookies and singing along to Christmas songs playing in the background. They watched _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ and _The Polar Express_ until Harry nearly fell asleep cuddling with them. Then they tucked him in bed and snuck down to put all the presents they'd hidden under the tree for him to find in the morning.

However, Harry didn't come wake them in the morning. He had gone about his normal routine of making a cold breakfast and then reading, waiting for Haley and Aaron to wake. Any other parent would be glad to have their child let them sleep in on Christmas morning, but to the Hotchners, it was just another reminder of what Harry had been through. They knew he was excited. They knew he knew the presents were for him and he was happy even without receiving anything. But it was still a bit disappointing that Harry couldn't bring himself to rush into their room and urge them to get up at first light. It was too ingrained in him to not be a "disturbance".

Still, they shook off their disappointment and joined their son downstairs. They all opened presents and then Haley made a big breakfast for them. Afterwards, they spent the day lazing around and just being a family together. They ended up talking about magic, and Harry asked if they would be able to tell Spencer the secret, as he would love learning all about the magical world. Aaron told him it could probably be arranged, but that for now, Harry would have to keep it to himself. Harry's musings about magic and all the questions he had just led Haley and Aaron to wonder the same thing. How were they going to do this?

Hawkins had offered his help, but they couldn't bother him with their questions every day. They needed someone closer, someone who had a reason to spend a lot of time with them and could ease their way and Harry's into the magical world. They needed a magical friend.

It looked like Hotch had a letter to write. Good thing they'd bought an owl.

…

Remus Lupin was tired.

It was a feeling he was accustomed to, but this morning he could feel the fatigue deep down in his bones. It wasn't even close to a full moon, but another Christmas had passed without his friends, without any indication in hi shabby apartment it was Christmas at all, and most importantly, without Harry Potter.

He missed his pseudo nephew.

He missed the way things were when he had friends like family; had brothers and a sister and a home and _hope_. He had love and laughter and even if there was a war raging around them, he still had something worth fighting for.

He only had one thing worth fighting for now. He had Harry, wherever he was, and Remus was determined to find him and never let him go again. Damn whatever Albus Dumbledore told him. Damn the laws forbidding him from taking custody. Damn whatever anyone else thought. The moment Remus was told Harry was missing in the United States, he resolved to never leave the only remaining family he had left. He immediately accepted the assignment of moving to the United States capitol in an effort to find Harry.

To support himself, he'd gotten a part-time job at a magical artifacts shop in the mall. His job prospects weren't quite as hopeless here as in England thanks to the lack of laws that discriminated against werewolves, but it was still hard to find employment. Thankfully, his job of charming, warding, and sometimes analyzing and authenticating various magical artifacts didn't require him to be around people, and his employer was lenient with his hours as long as the inventory was completed. With Christmas over, Remus could take a break as the shop would be selling leftover items for the next few days before it would be back to work spelling new items.

An owl tapping at his window with a letter in its beak brought Remus out of his musings. It was with reluctance that Remus dragged himself out of his seat to open the window and retrieve the letter. A minute later, his knees had given out at what he had read.

…

Lupin had responded quickly and agreed to meet with the Hotchners a week later.

Haley and Aaron had been waiting for his knock at the door and welcomed him inside. Lupin, "Call me Remus," nervously greeted them and couldn't help looking all around the home. A few pictures of Harry had already been framed and put up and he walked to a hanging photo as though in a daze.

"It's been so long since I've seen him," he said, despair pouring out of every inch of him.

The Hotchners couldn't help but feel pity for the younger man, and quickly sat him down in the living room. Remus set his bag beside him and asked about Harry. The boy was currently spending the day at the museum with Spencer and wouldn't be back for a couple hours so that the three of them could talk alone.

Hotch explained the circumstances of how Harry first came to stay with them and how they soon decided to adopt him. Remus, knowing about the Dursleys' murders, wasn't too shocked at that. However, when he was told Harry had been abused by the Dursleys, his eyes flashed amber as his face contorted in anger. The fact that Albus Dumbledore had been the one to decide to leave Harry with the Dursleys and that he had sealed the Potters' will in order to do so unchallenged convinced Remus not to tell Dumbledore anything about Harry. He immediately offered to help in any way he could.

Haley and Aaron beamed at him and asked if he would be willing to stay in D.C. to help answer any questions they or Harry had, perhaps even tutoring Harry about the magical world.

"You would let me see him?" Remus asked with shock and just a tiny amount of hope.

"Of course," Haley answered. "You knew him as a baby. You were clearly close with his parents if they wanted you to take care of them when they were gone. I think it would be good for Harry to have you back in his life. I think it would be good for you too."

"There is one question I do have," Hotch interrupted before Remus could respond. "What did James Potter mean when he wrote that your 'furry little problem' prevented you from taking custody of Harry?"

Remus cringed. "I," he stuttered hesitatingly. "I-I'm a," he breathed in and then his shoulders slumped, head hanging. "I'm a werewolf."

The Hotchners blinked.

"A werewolf?" Haley repeated. "Those are real? Like 'howl at the moon' werewolf?"

Remus nodded once without looking up.

"Okay," Haley stated. "I'm assuming there's more to being a werewolf that I don't understand-"

"Probably some prejudice and discrimination judging by your behavior," Hotch stated.

"But," Haley continued. "the way I see it, as long as you're not _howling at the moon_," she teased, "you're fine."

Remus looked at them in shock and then proceeded to explain why they should be kicking him out the door right now, but the Hotchners, especially Aaron, were very good at arguing against every point he made. Eventually they convinced him that yes, they understood the danger of a werewolf during the full moon, but he was a man like any other at all other times of the month. They didn't care what he was, he didn't choose it, yet he still managed his condition so that he wouldn't hurt innocent people, and they would be happy to have him over at any time.

Remus nearly cried.

Hotch then turned the discussion over to Harry's godparents, Sirius Black and Alice Longbottom. Remus visibly tensed, a distant look coming to his eyes. It took a while, but he eventually explained the fate of the Longbottoms. The two aurors were tortured into insanity and now resided in St. Mungo's, the wizarding hospital in London. Their son Neville, Harry's godbrother, was raised by his paternal grandmother.

The story of Sirius Black took longer and left Remus drained. Hotch was new to magic, but he understood crime and criminal behavior. Fidelius charms and secret keepers made no difference, and something just didn't add up. Hotch, despite feeling for the man, saw the discrepancies in the story, and prodded Remus for more information. After learning more of what Sirius was like in school, including the story about him tricking a boy named Severus Snape into nearly getting mauled by Remus in werewolf form, Hotch was convinced.

Yes, Sirius was raised in an environment that would encourage one to become a killer, but Black had very obviously rejected that path from an early age. Otherwise, there would have been signs. Furthermore, though Lupin thought Black being capable of murder at sixteen strengthened the evidence that he was a killer at heart, Hotch disagreed. Black wasn't actually capable of murder. He was reckless, yes. Immature. Vengeful even, but not a cold-blooded killer. Sixteen-year-old Sirius Black simply didn't think of the consequences of his actions, as many teens don't, and he didn't understand the seriousness of what he had done because he had accepted the wolf as a part of his friend – his friend that was actually very gentle, submissive, and would never hurt a soul. _Who_ Black had acted against in school also supported that Sirius was against Voldemort. He had even gone on to join this Order of the Phoenix and been a full-time fighter, partnering with James Potter on many missions*.

Sirius Black's supposed actions did not align with his character. Why would Sirius Black betray the Potters? Why would he join Voldemort? Why would he kill a street full of innocent people and then let himself be caught? _Why was only a finger left of Peter Pettigrew when Remus admitted that he knew of no spell that could do that to a body?_

Peter Pettigrew. His actions didn't make sense either. From how Remus described him, he was always timid, always looked over, never magically talented, never popular... so unlike his friends. It seemed like he only belonged in the group because he shared a dormitory with them. Why would he do something so uncharacteristic as to track down a murderer the he _knew_ he couldn't defeat in a duel? How did he even do it when Sirius had received training by a man called "Mad-eye" Moody. Remus told of how Sirius and James, though not aurors, had been put through almost every auror test by Moody, and therefore knew how to cover their tracks. Peter had no such training, having declined the offer.

Hotch was a criminal profiler. He solved murder cases for a living. He could guess what really happened, but he would need to be sure. If he was right, Sirius Black was an innocent man. But there were pieces missing in the story, and he needed them if he was going to find out the truth.

"Remus," Hotch said sternly, making Remus sit straighter, "I know you don't like thinking about that time, but can't you see the inconsistencies?" Remus had to admit that all the questions Hotch asked made the obvious story seem full of holes.

"There's something you're not telling me," Hotch deducted. "I need to know what it is."

Remus caved under Hotch's unwavering stare. He told them of how each of his three friends became what's known as an animagus, a wizard that could turn into an animal, so that they could keep him company during the full moon and prevent the wolf from hurting himself. As a person's animagus form reflected their own personality, Hotch just stared at Remus in disbelief when he was told what forms Black and Pettigrew took.

"Sirius was a dog," Hotch repeated slowly. "An animal that is best known for its loyalty and protective instincts. While Pettigrew was a rat…a RAT," he emphasized.

Haley leaned forward. "You do know that rats are labeled as commensals, right? They're opportunistic survivors. They live by benefitting off other species," she informed, her background as an earth science teacher coming in handy.

Remus blinked and didn't really have a response for them.

Hotch asked about Sirius's trial and if any of the questions he'd asked had been brought up at the time. Remus opened his mouth and then blinked in realization.

"I…I don't know," he admitted. At Hotch's raised eyebrow, Remus revealed that he didn't remember hearing _anything_ about Sirius Black's trial.

At this moment, Harry came barreling through the door with Spencer right behind. He immediately stopped once he saw that there was a man he didn't know. The change in Harry's behavior was obvious to everyone, even Remus.

Soon after Harry came to live with the Hotchners, they noticed that there were two sides to him. If Harry was around people he knew and trusted, he was a lively child full of curiosity and mischief and was almost always smiling. If there was even one person around that Harry didn't know though, he became silent, his walls going up. Constantly being on guard took its toll though, and Harry had experienced several panic attacks before Hotch, Reid, Dr. Oxland, and even Gideon had been able to teach him ways to cope with his social anxiety. As a result, Harry suffered less, but only because he knew how to channel is anxiety into observation so that he could deem most people he came across as harmless.

The ability would make him an amazing profiler one day, but in this mindset, Harry came off as a bit cold and indifferent. He was still polite and respectful as could be, but he had trouble conversing. Hotch was working with him on it. He hoped that with practice, Harry would learn that it was not about showing no emotion or faking who he was around people, but rather choosing what parts of himself people got to see first and opening himself up a little at a time.

Haley stood and gestured Harry over. Spencer lingered awkwardly until Hotch smiled and thanked him for taking Harry out. He also told him that Gideon wanted to talk with him later about a new opportunity offered to their unit of the BAU. Spencer left and Haley introduce Remus to Harry.

The six-year-old studied the man's face in confusion. He looked familiar.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

Remus grinned brightly. "You knew me when you were a baby. I was friends with your parents all through school and was there the day you were born. I used to babysit you all the time. I," he said nervously, "I was sort of like your uncle."

Harry frowned in confusion and leaned away.

"I'm sorry," Remus said quickly. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you before Harry. After your parents died, I wasn't allowed to see you. I asked. I asked so many times, but every time I was told it was better that you lived without any contact to the magical world until you were older. I…I gave up," he finished sadly.

Harry looked down and Remus reached into his bag. "I brought you some things. I have pictures of your parents, your birth parents that is…if you'd like to see them."

Harry looked up, bit of excitement in his eyes. He had no idea what his parents looked like. There weren't any pictures in the file Hotch had received.

Remus tried to smile. "I also brought you this." He produced a small stuffed wolf. It was a light grey color, fur slightly worn on the neck and back of the head.

"I was able to get it from your house after your parents died. I gave it to you when you were a baby. It belonged with a set, though I only took this and the stag and left the others. Here." Remus pulled out a stuffed deer with soft antlers and held that out as well. The stag seemed to be in perfect condition, unlike the wolf.

Remus smiled slightly as he looked at it. "Your father gave you this. He was always pouting how you like mine and…well, my stuffed animal better than his."

Harry took both plushies from Remus and looked at them. He rubbed his hand over the wolf and, without thinking, brought it up so he could rub his face against it's neck.

"Moony," Harry said.

Remus startled. Harry looked at him. "I called you that."

"Yes," Remus said in a voice choked with tears. "You called me Uncle Moony."

Harry looked at his parents. "Can Uncle Moony stay for dinner?"

Remus did cry that time.

Dinner was filled with laughter from all the stories Remus told about Harry's dad and his group of friends. Afterwards, it was still fairly early in the evening, and Hotch announced that he had to run an errand. He asked if Remus would stay until he returned. Haley agreed with him, knowing that Aaron was trying to allow Remus and Harry some more bonding time without his intimidating presence. Haley was much more subtle and could supervise the visit without imposing on the reunited uncle and nephew.

It took little more than an hour for Hotch to return. When he did, it was with a large shopping bag from Truncare & Gloss. When asked what books he bought, Aaron showed them.

"Why do you need books on Magical Law?" Remus asked. "_British_ Magical Law?"

Aaron looked at him determinedly. "I used to be a lawyer; a criminal prosecutor. I'll need to prepare if I'm going to be a criminal defense lawyer for a British wizard."

With that, Hotch and Remus started a brief outline on all argument points they had talked about earlier. They took a brief break for Haley and Aaron to tuck Harry in bed, but were soon back to work building their case in favor of Sirius Black.

...

Ta da! Moving along with the plot, though this chapter took a completely different turn than I expected. I thought it'd be the end of the first year, but as I was writing, I realized I needed to give more attention to Remus and his reunion with Harry.

*I found no information on the state of the American Magical Community anytime after the 1920's. I would assume that social reform had to occur though, just as it did in real life during the second half of the 20th century. So, I made this up, but I think with how the world changed at the dawn of the 21st century, the magical world would have changed too. Especially in a 1st world country that (for the most part) preached tolerance and acceptance of others.

*There are many shopping centers in DC, but Pentagon City Mall is one of the largest with 4 floors. I thought of having the magical shopping area be an alleyway like in London, but the MACUSA was hidden inside a major nonmagical building, so I figured wizards would probably do the same with their shopping center.

*In canon, Harry doesn't have a godmother, but I really liked the idea of Alice Longbottom being Harry's godmother. After all, Lily had to have friends in Hogwarts aside from the Marauders, who she actually wasn't friends with for the majority of their time there.

*JK Rowling told of how Harry's parents were full-time order members, living off the Potter family fortune. Still, if they had gotten a job, I think they would have been aurors. And if they were full-time fighters like Rowling said, they'd have to have been trained. Who better to train them than Moody?

Also, the reason this chapter took so long was because I started writing for future chapters and...oh my god guys, I can't wait for you to read them. One of them is a criminal profile for Bellatrix Lestrange. You won't see it for about 10 chapters, but...I think I missed my calling. Also, analyzing her character from a profiler standpoint makes me wonder how much criminal psychology research JKR put into writing her because WOW does a lot of her character make sense now. The other chapter I started writing is what I call the OH SNAP chapter, and I really hope you like it as much as I like writing it. I'm such a horrible tease for telling you this and yet not telling you anything.

IF YOU WANT TO COMMENT on anything in this chapter, all I ask is that you be respectful


	4. The First Year Part II

Sorry for the Wait everyone. Life is crazy sometimes and this chapter was hard.

I had someone ask why the Potters didn't say in their will who their secret keeper was. I've read fics where they have, and I understand the logic. However, you have to remember that Sirius was chosen first and James and Lily trusted him implicitly. In the same manner, they trusted Peter with their and their son's lives. If you trust someone that much, would you really feel it necessary to write it down if you thought they were going to betray you and get you killed? The Potters didn't think peter betraying them was a possibility. Even if they did, they made the switch last minute and wouldn't have left their safe house to update their will. Especially since its canon that though the goblin nation wanted to stay out of the war, they weren't always successful. And if, in this fic, there are two copies of the will, one held by the Ministry, don't you think James and Lily wouldn't have wanted that information available?

Anyway, next chapter things will start to get a bit more interesting.

...

The First Year Part II

...

Nearly five months had passed since that night, and in some ways, much had changed in the Hotchner household.

With Remus constantly invited over in the evenings, Hotch and Haley found their knowledge of magic growing in heaps and bounds. Haley herself was interested in the possible science behind magic and talked with Remus about various magical theories. Her favorite subject by far was potions, demanding that Remus teach her as well as Harry when he was old enough to start brewing. As Harry had progressed far faster in learning the necessary background knowledge than Remus had anticipated, they would be starting simple potions within the next few months.

Thankfully, Harry's study of magic didn't interfere with his normal studies. In fact, not only was Spencer and Remus teaching him, so was Derek Morgan. The men had all met and gotten along, even joining in with each other's lessons. Reid and Morgan's transition into that part of Harry's life had gone well enough.

After the chaos of the holidays, the family of three had quickly found a new rhythm.

Aaron and Harry still spent their time at Quantico just as they had before, though a MACUSA representative had visited them and gone over the terms of allowing the BAU to work with their aurors should it ever be needed. Chief Strauss had already known of magic, and no one could agree if that fact was surprising or made perfect sense. She didn't want any part of the magical world though, and wasn't thrilled that her superiors wanted to reallocate one of her best units. Strauss had no choice in the matter though, so made it clear that even if they would not be under her command for any magical case, she was still their superior and in charge of them at any other time.

Gideon was given the honor of choosing who would get to learn of magic, as he was the unit leader and could judge who could not only be trusted, but also react well with the knowledge. Spencer, of course, was immediately let in on the secret and conspired with Harry to learn as much about magic as possible. Agent Martinez had not passed Gideon's evaluation though, and she'd needed to be reassigned sooner than she'd wanted.

Derek Morgan had originally posed more of a question. He was new to the team and Gideon had wanted to know him more before deciding whether to tell him or not. While not as knowledgeable of profiling precedence or technical terms as the other members of the team, Morgan was excellent at reading human behavior. He was just as easily able to modify his own behavior to suit the situation, whether it was to connect, intimidate, or make another feel in control. Morgan was also a qualified field agent; "the muscle" as some would call it, which they had needed with the departure of Agent Bends.

On a more personal level, Morgan was very likeable. He had an easy air about him, quick to smile or joke. Spencer grumbled about him, but everyone knew it was all a show and that he actually was quite flattered the older agent wanted to be his friend. Because for whatever reason, Morgan had almost immediately taken to the doctor, forcing the far too serious young man to have more fun in life. Harry had also been taken under Morgan's wing, but only after Morgan had made it clear how he felt about letting a child loose in the bullpen. He was given the same arguments as Haley and Strauss and came to understand the reasoning and sentiment behind the decision. Morgan hadn't liked it, still didn't, but he accepted it and went one step further to actively take part in teaching Harry.

Unlike Spencer, Morgan's lessons were less academic and more interpersonal and cultural, teaching Harry how to interact with people. He and Harry – and sometimes Spencer – spent their time together doing things normal kids would do, from watching movies to playing games or pranking Harry's other honorary uncles.

It was Morgan's guidance that finally got Harry to open up around strangers, though he tended to act a lot like Morgan, which concerned Hotch at first. Then Harry explained how Uncle Morgan taught him to fake confidence until he felt it. Morgan apparently reiterated what Hotch had said about always being oneself, but explained it further.

"You don't have to trust people to be who you really are," Morgan told Harry. "I know you want to hide what you think and what you feel because you're afraid. You're afraid someone will see you and hurt you because they'll see your weak spots. But the thing is," Morgan said seriously, "by shutting down, you let them know you're afraid; that you _have_ weak spots. If you really want to protect yourself, act like those weak spots don't exist, and no one will see them. Even if you don't feel confident, act like you do. I promise it's worth it. When you act confident, _not arrogant_," Morgan added sternly, "but confident, it makes other people feel confident too, because people tend to mimic the reactions of those around them. If you want someone to talk to you, ya gotta talk to them and give 'em a chance."

Morgan then smirked. "Once you master the art of small talk, then I'll teach you how to talk to people like a profiler," he promised. "I'll teach you every trick I know on how to get the kind of reaction you want."

Harry had grinned wide. "Will you teach me to tell when people are lying?"

"I'll teach you how to read their body language so well, they won't have to say a word for you to know the truth."

Morgan's teachings had the unfortunate – for Hotch – side effect of Harry's hidden sarcasm and pithy wit coming out more frequently, something Gideon found endlessly amusing.

With Harry's seal of approval, Gideon had made the executive decision that Morgan should know about the magical world only a month after he started. Finding out his unofficial nephew was a wizard had taken some adjusting, but Morgan had adapted, remaining firm in his protective role over Harry and teaching him how to protect himself.

The final change for the BAU team was their new member, a public liaison. Their deal with the MACUSA meant that they would be responsible for covering up any magical case with the No-Maj media, and because their unit had been dealing more and more with local police agencies, Chief Strauss had decided to assign one exclusively for their team. Hotch had found the first candidate incompetent, and none of the boys had liked her. Gideon also found her too argumentative, especially for someone who was supposed to smooth over the working relationship of the FBI with local law enforcement.

The new recruit, Jennifer Jareau, was doing a much better job. Harry and Spencer seemed to have a bit of a crush on her though, not that Hotch could really blame them. When Haley was told, she snorted into her coffee and alternated between laughing and cooing over how adorable it was. It was acknowledged that JJ would probably be told of magic, the sooner the better. Hotch wanted to ask her for advice on how to handle the trial of Sirius Black in regards to the ministry and media.

After months of late nights studying British Magical Criminal Law and consulting with Remus, Hotch felt he knew every nuance involved with a magical trial held in the Wizengamot. It was time to contact the British Ministry of Magic.

…

Amelia Bones had held the title of Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for about four years now. Ever since Barty Crouch Sr. had been forced to step down and transfer departments, Amelia had taken up the position with competence and determination. Little had occurred in the last few years that she had not been able to handle swiftly and in accordance to the law.

That's why the letter sitting on her desk on a Monday morning in early May shook her to her core.

If it was true that Sirius Black may be innocent, that he had never even had a trial, the Ministry would face horrible backlash.

"Get me the court records for Sirius Black," she demanded of her assistant.

Once the assistant left, Amelia sat and thought. The Black family was a prominent wizarding family. Though most of its members had either died, been disowned, or imprisoned in recent years, the Black name still held power. It was one of the sacred twenty-eight and Sirius Black, as the former heir and now Head of the Black family, held a seat on the Wizengamot.

_Please_, thought Amelia with crossed fingers. _Please let there be records of a trial or sentence hearing or SOMETHING!_

The Ministry could not have illegally incarcerated a Lord for over five years. Yet, when her assistant timidly reported that she could find no record of Sirius Black's trial, Amelia sighed and hung her head. Not one to be defeated, Amelia quickly sucked in a breathed and straightened her spine.

Time to call an urgent meeting with the Minister and Crouch.

…

It took another few weeks of constant letters being sent back and forth between Washington D.C. and London, but Hotch finally managed to convince the Ministry of Magic to hold a trial for Sirius Black once he took JJ's suggestion of telling them he'd go to the media with the story.

JJ's acceptance into the magical world was the easiest so far, as she easily accepted the truth without asking unending questions.

"I've always believed in magic," she told them. "Really the knowledge doesn't change much. People are still people and I know exactly how to handle them."

JJ had taken almost sadistic pleasure in writing up a press release about Sirius Black. Hotch sent it to the Ministry warning that copies would be sent to the Daily Prophet and Wizarding Wireless News Station, the two premier news sources Remus had told him about.

As the Ministry wanted to keep the trial as quiet as possible, they ceded to Hotch's demands, and Sirius's trial was scheduled for June 15th. In the meantime, Hotch had been sent copies of every piece of evidence the Ministry had in regards to Sirius Black. There was very little, but he made use of what he was given by calling in some favors and promising some in turn with Auror Hawkins. The hardest piece of evidence to obtain was the finger of Peter Pettigrew, but Hotch demanded it. The law was on his side, and Madame Bones was forced to write up a warrant to exhume Pettigrew's finger no matter how upset Mrs. Pettigrew was.

Hotch got permission from the BAU to take leave and leaded to London a week prior to the trial. As neither he nor Haley wanted anyone to know of Harry's whereabouts, the two would be staying at home. They'd have to wait to meet Sirius until he was freed and arrived with Hotch back home.

…

Sirius Black was confused.

He had no sense of how long he'd been in Azkaban, but he knew from the length of his hair that it had been several years at least. His mind was still clearing of the effects of the dementors as he sat in a small, windowless room on one of two chairs with a desk in between. He thought he was in the Ministry of Magic, but he honestly couldn't be sure. His mind was still foggy. One minute, he'd been lying in his cell in dog form when he heard footsteps headed his way. After he'd changed back, his door was thrust open by two guards who'd handcuffed him and dragged him from the cell down several flights of stairs until the salty air hit his face. He was practically dumped into a boat with four aurors, and once they'd reached the mainland, they apparated him directly to this room.

Now he was alone and wondering what was going on; if he would _finally_ be able to tell someone what really happened.

A click sounded from the door and a man in a plain black muggle suit walked in with a briefcase, an auror closing and locking the door behind him.

"Sirius Black," the man said in a deep baritone with an American accent. "My name is Aaron Hotchner. I'm here to talk to you about your upcoming court trial."

"I didn't betray James and Lily," Sirius croaked out immediately.

"I know."

"I didn't kill anyone!"

"I know."

"I didn't – wait, you know?"

Aaron simply inclined his head and sat down across from him. "I also know the true culprit is Peter Pettigrew and that both of you are unregistered animagi."

Sirius blinked.

"Mr. Black," Hotch began, "there's much we need to discuss. I have managed to convince the ministry to give you a trial. I would like to be your defense attorney. Before we go any further, you need to agree to that."

"You got me a trial?" Sirius asked, coughing slightly to clear his throat.

Hotch reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of water that he offered to Sirius. He eagerly took it and gulped half of it down.

"Why?" he asked after. "Who are you?"

Hotch scrutinized him with narrowed eyes, making Sirius shift in his seat.

"Do you accept my offer of defending you?"

Sirius only took a moment to think it over. "I suppose if you're the reason I'm out of Azkaban right now, then yes."

"Before I say anything else, I need you to tell me everything that happened on the night of October 31st, leading into the days following and the confrontation between you and Peter Pettigrew."

Sirius began speaking, at first stopping his story to explain who everyone was. Hotch told him he already knew all the background information and to just say what happened from his viewpoint. Sirius agreed and told Hotch the very story he had been able to deduce, including the fact that Peter Pettigrew may still be alive, as all that was recovered was a finger.

When Sirius fell silent, Hotch steepled his fingers in front of him in thought.

"I'm going to be honest with you Mr. Black."

"Sirius, please."

"I'm not certain I can win your case," Hotch stated bluntly. "I firmly believe your innocence and may very well convince others of your innocence. If this trial were held in a muggle court in the Unites States, I would have no worries about your exoneration. However, this court will be held in the Wizengamot where I have never practiced and with rules and laws that I am new to. The fact that this is a high-profile case which will undoubtedly gain media attention no matter how much the Ministry wants to hide it doesn't help, especially as your original capture and jailing gained the Ministry favor among the magical community. The government will be highly unwilling to admit they've incarcerated an innocent man who just so happens to be a high-ranking wizard for more than five years."

Sirius's face fell as the reality of his situation set in.

Hotch continued speaking in his blunt manner. "Your case is not hopeless though. Far from. I have been preparing your defense for the last five months and feel that there is a very good chance I can prove your innocence. I have multiple back-up plans in place and have managed to obtain warrants to view and examine all evidence against you by an independent third party. Best case scenario is that our motion to use veritaserum or make use of a pensieve is approved. However, any Wizengamot member can object to the use as there are ways to resist truth serum and modify memories." Hotch paused. "Considering the reluctance of the Ministry to give you a trial at all, I believe someone will object and the motion denied. That just means we'll have to do this the muggle way, without magical means. We _can _prove your innocence," Hotch said. "The problem will be forcing the Wizengamot to accept it and take the hit to their reputation."

Sirius nodded slowly and breathed out. "Okay. I…I trust you. I think. Which is odd because I don't even know you." He shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry, but I just don't understand who you are or why you're defending me."

Hotch's face softened. "Two reasons. The first is that I'm a big supporter of justice. I couldn't live with myself if I knew an innocent man was locked away and I did nothing. The other is because my son deserves to know his godfather."

Sirius blinked. "Your son?"

Hotch nodded. "It's a bit of a story. I don't know if you've managed to figure it out or not, but I'm not a wizard."

Sirius sat ramrod in his seat. "You're not?" he exclaimed.

Hotch grinned ruefully. "No. I'm a muggle, or No-Maj as they say in America. I live in Washington D.C. and I work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. I investigate crime and criminals for a living. Before that I was a criminal prosecutor, so this is a bit new to me – keeping someone out of jail instead of trying to put them away. Still, this just means I know every argument that'll be used against us. As for how I got involved in your case, well, it started with the murders of an English family. The Dursleys."

Hotch watched Sirius's expression carefully as he connected the name. He added, "All three were killed, but Petunia Dursley's nephew survived."

"Harry!" Sirius exclaimed with fear shining in his eyes. "Is he okay? Where is he? Can I see him? Wait. Why was he with the Dursleys? Petunia hated Lily!"

Hotch held up his hands to calm Sirius. "Harry is fine. He's back home with my wife, Haley. I had been granted temporary guardianship of him until the case was solved, but neither of us could give him up to go into foster care when it came time, so we adopted him."

Sirius blinked, face falling again. In a whisper he asked. "You adopted him?"

"Yes. He's been with us for nearly a year now. I understand that you were supposed to take care of him after his parents died, but I need to make it clear that he is my son now; mine and Haley's. I love him and want what's best for him. If I thought being with you was best, I'd let him go, but I know it's not."

Sirius opened his mouth as though to argue, but Hotch cut him off. "Harry was abused by the Dursleys."

Sirius gasped quietly.

"There are things about Harry that you don't know and wouldn't be able to help him with," Hotch stated. "Harry is happy with us. He calls me dad. He calls Haley mom. I don't mean to say that we replaced your friends. I know we haven't because he'll call Lily and James mum and dad as well. But he considers us his parents and if we fight over him, it will only harm him, as would you taking him away when he finally has a happy and stable home life."

Sirius frowned in thought.

"I'm here trying to get you free." Hotch leaned forward. "Harry is my son, but you are still his godfather, and Harry needs you. Remus visits almost every day. He and Harry have formed a close relationship. They're family again just as they always should have been. I'm hoping you'll agree to something similar."

"Remus is with Harry?" Sirius asked in a small, hopeful voice.

Hotch nodded. "He's 'Uncle Moony' and Harry's magical tutor."

Sirius smiled slightly as silence descended. Hotch broke it by explaining how he came to learn of Harry's identity and the magical world. That led to him obtaining the Potters' will and reaching out to Remus Lupin, who told Hotch more about the people in the Potters' lives. Sirius was chagrined to learn that Hotch knew right away that there was more to the story of himself and Peter Pettigrew. He truly was the only reason Sirius was granted a trial. By the end of the explanation, Sirius couldn't begrudge the man for adopting his godson and doing the job he was meant to do. He'd blown his chance, but now he was given the opportunity to rejoin Harry's life. Really, Sirius could only be grateful to the man.

"Alright," Sirius said with forced cheer. "Tell me what I need to do to win my freedom."

…

The Daily Prophet

SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT!

By Rita Skeeter

In a stunning turn of events, Sirius Black was proclaimed innocent this afternoon in a secret trial held by the Wizengamot that started early this morning.

How could this be when the history of Sirius Black and his crimes in support of the Dark Lord are so well known to the wizarding world?

Ladies and Gentlemen, the truths that I am about to reveal are so shocking, I myself can hardly believe the story of secrecy, betrayal, and cover-up. In fact, the only reason I can reveal it at all is due to luck. Whilst visiting the ministry several days ago, a source revealed that the old courtrooms that hadn't been used since the time of He-Must-Not-Be-Named would be in use once again. Following this lead, I showed up to the courtrooms this morning, and had to point out that any trials held there were open to the public. Only then was I grudgingly allowed inside, as the ministry desperately wished to conceal the grave error they made years ago, and with good reason.

For the last five years, the world has believed that Sirius Black was a Death Eater and one of the biggest supporters of You-Know-Who. We believed the story that he betrayed his long-time friend, James Potter, to the Dark Lord, which led to both his and Lily Potter's deaths, leaving their infant son, Harry Potter, an orphan. The subsequent defeat of You-Know-Who at the hands of the Boy-Who-Lived drove Sirius Black to flee as followers were being rounded up by the ministry. However, another friend of theirs from Hogwarts, Peter Pettigrew, tracked Black down and confronted him about what he'd done. Black, in a fit of rage, destroyed an entire street full of muggles, killing twelve innocent bystanders along with Peter Pettigrew. The aurors were called and Black was apprehended, apparently too busy laughing at the damage he'd caused.

Afterwards, Black was found guilty of the murders and thrown into Azkaban as he rightfully deserved. This was supposed to be fact.

I am sad to report that a grave miscarriage of justice occurred in November of 1998, which resulted in Sirius Black never receiving a trial and being falsely imprisoned for five and half years.

Are you ready to learn what really happened that fateful day my dear readers?

I had no knowledge of who would be present when I entered the courtroom, so I was rightfully taken aback at the sight of Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer. The last time his face was seen, it was of his mugshot, released to the press shortly after his incarceration (_see pg. 4) _in which he looked quite deranged. The man sitting in the center of the courtroom, however, was the opposite. Black presented himself as a handsome man, well-dressed, well-groomed, and with a pleasant smile on his face despite the magical chains binding him to his chair.

Strange as Black seemed, what's perhaps stranger was the lawyer representing him. Mr. Hotchner, a handsome American wizard with a deep, commanding voice dressed in muggle fashion, would prove throughout the trial a force to be reckoned with. The proceedings began as normal. The trial was called in session and the charges listed, including murder on thirteen counts, treason, and conspiracy. Sirius Black pleaded not guilty on all counts. Immediately after, Mr. Hotchner made a motion to release Black from his bindings while he remained in the courtroom, providing such sound reasoning that the Wizengamot could not refuse.

Mr. Hotchner than made a motion to administer veritaserum to Black, which he would willingly ingest. The motion was denied. Mr. Hotchner's second motion to use a pensieve to view Sirius Black's memories of what occurred five years ago was also denied, as memories can be falsified.

These failures did not deter Mr. Hotchner.

I'm unable to write the full details of what occurred in the following three hours. To do so would take a novel. I will instead write that Mr. Hotchner defended Sirius Black with intelligence and unarguable evidence. So much so that the Wizengamot could not refute the truth that was revealed.

It seems that the root of Sirius Black's "crimes" started with one piece of misinformation: Who was the Potters' secret keeper?

As we all know, You-Know-Who had been hunting the Potters for over a year before their deaths. After their son was born, they went into hiding, eventually making use of the Fidelius Charm, which will confine a secret inside an individual, known as the secret keeper. Once enacted, the knowledge of this secret, such as one's location, will be unknown to anyone unless told by the secret keeper under their own free will. _(For more info, see pg. 10)_.

Sirius Black was believed to be the Potters' secret keeper. Albus Dumbledore even confirmed this years ago after Black was arrested. It seems it was all a ruse though.

When called to give testimony, Black explained that, while he had originally been chosen to be the secret keeper, at the last moment, they used another. Black explained how he had realized that everyone would believe him to be secret keeper and would come after him. Though he firmly declared that he would never have given up his best friend, he wanted to add another layer of protection.

And so, the Potters switched secret keepers and told no one, making everyone believe Black was the only one who could tell of the Potters' whereabouts and thus making him the target. Meanwhile, the real secret keeper would be someone know one would ever think to go after.

Who was this secret keeper?

It was none other than Peter Pettigrew, given the Order of Merlin First Class after he bravely confronted Black for his betrayal and killed.

Or so we believed.

Black and Mr. Hotchner had quite the time convincing the Wizengamot of the switch in secret keepers. In truth, they had no evidence, but they called in several character witnesses, including Madame Rosemerta, owner of the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Everyone who knew James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew all said the same thing: Potter and Black were as close as brothers from their very first year at Hogwarts, never having one without the other. Pettigrew was always just an afterthought, never being exceptional in any regard.

Mr. Hotchner used this to paint a picture which is hard to argue against despite the lack of evidence. Because of Black and Potter's bond, everyone _would_ think Black would be their secret keeper, but who would ever suspect Peter Pettigrew? Yet, why would Pettigrew betray his friends in a way that would lead to their deaths? As Mr. Hotchner pointed out though: Why would Sirius Black?

It was then Mr. Hotchner submitted evidence from an auror in America. Law enforcement across the pond has been making use of a new technique called "Criminal Profiling" which analyses a criminal's background and behavior in order to understand their actions in the past and predict their actions in the future. Though untested here in Britain, the case files given to the Wizengamot showed the success of the technique. After the court accepted that there was value in "Criminal Profiling", Mr. Hotchner submitted the profiles done by Auror Hawkins of the MACUSA for both Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.

The profiles were astounding.

To sum up the reports, Sirius Black was least likely to ever betray his friends and had no motive to do so. As Black had never been formally disowned, he was still quite wealthy and powerful, both magically and in society. And while his family had supported You-Know-Who and the Dark Arts, Sirius Black had vehemently denounced the Dark Arts from a very young age and fought against You-Know-Who's reign. Testimony from character witnesses proclaim he had no contact with anyone supporting You-Know-Who, so could not been convinced to join the Death Eaters. To prove this, Sirius Black simply rolled up his left sleeve to reveal his forearm.

Sirius Black does not have the Dark Mark.

His arm was examined physically and magically, and Black had never been branded with the sign of You-Know-Who's followers.

The profile of Peter Pettigrew was not as kind. It claimed that Pettigrew would have been likely to join You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters if given the right incentive. Witness testimony supported the claim that Pettigrew had always gravitated towards those who had the most power and would act in his own self-interest. In addition, the lack of recognition compared to his friends could have given Pettigrew an inferiority complex, driving him to feel jealous and bitter towards his childhood friends.

Yet, this did not prove Sirius Black's innocence. At this point in the trial, most of the evidence was circumstantial. However, irrefutable evidence was brought up with the next part of the story. Evidence that forced even the staunchest believers in Black's guilt to admit he was innocent.

As Black proclaimed that Pettigrew had been secret keeper, so too did Black proclaim that he had been the one to track Pettigrew down for his betrayal, not the other way around. After being trapped into a corner, Pettigrew shouted about how Sirius had betrayed James and Lily for all around to hear, setting him up to take the fall for what happened next.

While Black was distracted with Pettigrew's words, Pettigrew cut off his own finger behind his back and then shot a blasting curse at the ground between them. The blast inadvertently hit a gas pipe that was underground, which exploded on impact and destroyed the street above, causing the deaths of twelve muggles. Black cast a shield charm to protect himself, but the explosion allowed Pettigrew to escape. When the dust cleared, Black was surrounded by numerus bodies and with the knowledge that his former friend had tried to kill him.

Telling this story, Black's eyes had teared up. He ended his testimony by saying that as he stood in that street after all the loss he'd just suffered, he could only laugh at how Pettigrew had outsmarted him, for if he didn't, he might well have gone insane with grief.

While this is all a good story, Mr. Hotchner prove it to be fact with three key pieces of evidence.

The first piece of evidence Mr. Hotchner provided proved who cast the spell that caused such damage. He brought forward the photographs of the street taken by the Ministry's own aurors and pointed out the gas pipes and sewers exposed by the blast. Until now, it was unknown how a street could be destroyed by a single spell, but Mr. Hotchner had the testimony of explosive experts on hand that detailed where the blast originated and the directionality of the explosion, lining up with the effects of a blasting curse hitting a gas pipe cast from where Pettigrew was known to be standing. Mr. Hotchner had gone so far as to hire an independent party to recreate the event, and the results perfectly matched what happened five years ago when Pettigrew cast the blasting curse. Had Black done so, the explosion would have radiated in the opposite direction.

The second piece of evidence provided was Black's wand. The Ministry had kept it along with all the other evidence they'd gathered all these years in storage. Using the Reverse Spell Effect, it showed that the last spell cast was the shield charm, backing up Black's story, especially as he had not resisted arrest when the aurors arrived. Using priori incantatem to go further back through the spell history, we saw many spells used to either track or trace, again, supporting the story that Black had been hunting Pettigrew and not fleeing for his life.

The final bit of evidence was an autopsy of Pettigrew's finger, the only part of his body found at the scene. First Mr. Hotchner argued that there would have been more of Pettigrew found had he died in the blast. He provided several reports detailing the heat needed to disintegrate a body fully, heat the was not reached in the explosion. Then Mr. Hotchner provided photographs of the finger bone, focusing on where it was cut. The autopsy report, done by a specialist in the MACUSA, clearly stated that the bone was cut using a lightly serrated knife, most likely a pocketknife. It was not burned off or cut using any magical means.

The Wizengamot could not reconcile the proof in front of them with the story they had believed all these years. The only story the evidence supported was the one Sirius Black had given; a story where he was innocent of the crimes he was accused of.

And so, when the vote came to clear Sirius Black of all charges, nearly all members of the Wizengamot voted to release Sirius Black with recompense of five thousand galleons for every year he was falsely imprisoned. That number was reduced however when Mr. Hotchner declared that Sirius Black would like to turn himself in for being an unregistered animagus. They then informed the court that Peter Pettigrew was also an unregistered animagus who took the form of a rat.

Sirius Black was fined five thousand galleons and would need to register his form, but no jail time would be served as he had already fulfilled the maximum sentence during his illegal imprisonment.

Peter Pettigrew has been stripped of his Order of Merlin, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest _(See pg. 3)_.

While I applaud Madame Bones for doing her duty as Head of Law Enforcement and bringing about this trial to correct a horrible injustice, there are still several questions that remain. Among them is how an affluent member of our society could simply be thrown into Azkaban so carelessly without any attempt to prove his guilt. Does this mean the Ministry can incarcerate anyone should they choose? Where is the accountability? Are there more like Sirius Black, rotting away in Azkaban when they are innocent? Are there more like Peter Pettigrew, who have committed vile and heinous acts and yet are walking free?

This reporter urges its readers to stand up and demand the Ministry of Magic to review all cases handled under Bartemius Crouch Sr.'s administration to make sure that no other misuse of power occurred.

As for what Sirius Black will do now that he is a free man, I am afraid both he and Mr. Hotchner gave no comment and left the Ministry immediately following the verdict. Wherever you are now, Lord Black, we at the _Prophet_ wish you the very best in life.

...

I am not a lawyer. I have no knowledge of how a court trial actually goes, so I wrote Sirius's trial as an article to A) give an overview where I could pick and choose where to give details and B) show you guys what Magical Britain is told of these kind of events as it'll come back into play later.

Hope you all enjoyed!


	5. Baby Girl

Sorry for the long wait, and sorry that this is a short chapter. I had to cut it in half (technically about a third because the other part is twice as long as this)because it turned into a MONSTER. So, it will only be a couple days to get the next chapter out because it's mostly done anyway.

I hope you enjoy!

The usual disclaimer applies.

...

Baby Girl

...

The reunion between Harry and Sirius was bittersweet for the pair. Both were aware of just how much time they'd missed in each other's lives, but they determined not to waste another moment and bonded together just as easily as Remus and Harry had. As for the two remaining marauders, the first things they said to each other were apologies. In fact, neither of them stopped apologizing until Morgan swatted the two on their heads and said, "Just hug already!"

They forgave each other quickly after that.

Sirius, not needing to work to support himself, permanently moved to the United States – with Hotch's help – and bought a house right down the street from the Hotchners. He set up their floos and erected wards around the properties to protect them. Remus easily gave up his shabby apartment after being invited to live with him, but he kept his part-time job. He wanted to carry his own weight and had grown to like the work.

Remus also wanted to be there for Sirius. While they could mostly pick up their friendship right where they'd left off, bickering and teasing each other like an old married couple, sometimes the fact that Sirius had been in Azkaban could not be ignored. His maturity level was about the same as it had been when he'd been sent to prison, tragically, the day before his twenty-second birthday*. At times, he seemed to get lost in his memories, a side effect of long-term exposure to dementors that would fade with time.

Luckily, Sirius's current euphoria seemed to outweigh any depressive states. As long as he wasn't left alone too long, Sirius was fine. It's one of many reasons Harry stopped going to Quantico on the days when he wasn't allowed in the bullpen and started staying with Sirius while everyone else was working.

Once again, the family's routine changed, but no one was complaining. Harry finished his first year of homeschool, acing the tests for two years' worth of education just as Spencer had predicted. Despite his progress in social settings, they all decided public school would be too boring for him, so he would continue to be homeschooled, especially as Harry didn't stop learning during the summer. He just reduced the hours he spent studying.

Haley was home all day now that her teaching duties had ended for a couple months, and she and Harry were able to spend more time with each other. Part of that time was spent learning about magic. Haley shared Harry's excitement when Remus walked them through their very first potion brewing. It was a simple Taste Altering potion that would make any food it was added to taste like their choice of fruit, but they enjoyed it all the same.

Sirius, while not as studious as Remus, was still knowledgeable about many aspects of magic and joined in. He taught Harry about his ancestry and about wizarding culture in Britain and other European countries, including Harry's duties as a Lord. True, the Potters weren't part of the Scared Twenty-Eight, but the family had held a seat on the Wizengamot since its creation, which afforded Harry the title and responsibilities*. While doing so, Sirius realized he needed to sort out quite a few Black family matters, including reaching out to Andromeda Tonks.

Communicating across an ocean took time even for wizards though, so meanwhile Sirius introduced his godson to flying on a broomstick. Both backyards were warded so that no one would see them up to a certain height. Haley needed to be convinced it was safe, but Harry was allowed to fly if he was supervised. Altogether, Sirius brought Harry and the Hotchners more laughs than they'd ever had before. It was a wonder the man still had a sense of humor after Azkaban, but Sirius was making great progress in moving on from the ordeal. Aside from the long talks with Moony, it just wasn't in his nature to dwell on the past.

"I'm out now and I have you," Sirius said to Harry. The nearly seven-year-old had showed his concern when Sirius complained about the daily muscle rebuilding potion he had to take. It was one of several nutrient potions Remus promised to force on him for the first six months out of prison to regain his health. "I have all of you," Sirius continued solemnly as he looked at the Hotchners. The other adults, including Spencer and Morgan, had rallied around Remus and never let Sirius skip a potion.

This concern was what really made Sirius accept the Hotchners. A small, secret part of him had still harbored a bit of resentment to the couple, but he came to love them just as he had loved James and Lily – just as he began to care for the other BAU members. After realizing this, he cornered Haley and confessed to her that, much like Remus, he had never thought he would gain another family after what had happened. He was infinitely grateful he did.

"You're a lot like Lily," Sirius told her. "Maybe not as fiery in temperament. You hold your tongue more than Lily ever did and are infinitely more patient with your husband." He chuckled. "Still just as strong though, and as kind." He hesitated for a moment. "Lily would approve. So would James. I don't know if…well, I thought you should know. Maybe James and Lily didn't pick you to raise Harry, but if they could see you now, they wouldn't want Harry to be anywhere else. They'd be happy he was with you."

Neither Haley nor Hotch had realized just how much they needed to hear those words. Whenever someone brought up Harry's parentage before, both went on the defense. They felt the need to prove that they were Harry's parents in every way that mattered. They weren't substitutes.

They didn't feel that need anymore; that disconnect, the _doubt_. It had taken almost a year and many challenges, but now they were simply Harry's parents.

With the two British wizards, Haley and Harry explored magic, sharing their findings with Aaron every night he came home. Spencer joined in as often as he could, spouting ways to test out his theories of magic versus science. His proposal intrigued both men, who'd never thought of magic in the way Spencer suggested.

"I've read almost every book on magical theory sold by Truncare & Gloss. Now, the definition of magic is to create, change, or influence something in a seemingly impossible and inexplicable way," Spencer said when explaining his idea. "That means magic could theoretically do the impossible, but your magic _can't_. There laws of magic just as there are laws of physics: the Fundamental Laws of Magic, Gamp's Law of Transfiguration, the Principal of Artificianimate Dominance," Spencer listed. "You are limited, not just by power but by _possibility._ My theory is that you are bound by the same laws of physics that the rest of the natural world is. If you are, then there is a way to prove it. And if it _is_ proven true, then what you're doing isn't necessarily magic, but _energy manipulation!_" Spencer concluded excitedly.

And so, they started analyzing magic with a scientific eye. They were especially curious as to why magic affected electricity, which needed to be solved as the technology in both houses belonging to Sirius and the Hotchners were starting to be affected by the ambient magic building up.

Luckily, they got more help when it came to analyzing magic.

While trying to find two serial killers that targeted prostitutes over the internet, the team had arrested a wanted hacker by the name of "The Black Queen". Hotch convinced the FBI to recruit her instead of sending her to jail, and she, Penelope Garcia, had agreed. However, just because she was assigned to their team didn't guarantee that she would be told of magic. Before Gideon could even begin to study her though, Harry had made the choice for him.

While the other team members were introduced to Penelope, Harry went into her office to snoop. He had always been good at sensing the people around him. It wasn't until he'd learned of magic and Remus taught him about magical cores that he realized that was how he did it. Since Remus came into his life, he'd gotten pretty good at sensing magic, as he was constantly going back and forth between magical and nonmagical locations and interacting with both wizards and muggles. Each time, he became more and more sensitive to the presence of magic, so he was able to sense the magic on Penelope Garcia. She obviously was not a witch, but she was around magic of some kind that had rubbed off on her.

It took only one look at her desk for Harry to find his answer, so he went back to the bull pen and saw that the team had moved to a briefing room. Harry slipped inside and closed the door, then walked up to the blonde with a large smile.

"Hi! I'm Harry Potter-Hotchner. Do you know how to make electricity work around magic?"

Harry wished he'd gotten pictures of everyone's faces. Through the gasps, coughs, forced laughs and weak explanations from everyone else, Penelope just blinked at Harry before matching his wide grin.

"Not yet I'm afraid," she answered. "But I think I'm close!"

Morgan sputtered, "What? You – what?"

Harry turned to him with a giggle. "She knows."

"I know," Garcia echoed. She turned to Harry. "How did you know I know? And are you a wizard?"

"I am," Harry replied and then smiled sheepishly. "I went into your office. I saw the magical animal figurines on your desk. You have an erumpent and a niffler. They're easy enough to pass off as a bad representation of a rhino and platypus. They also have good luck charms on them: erumpent for love and niffler for finding fortune. Also, the lollipops you have are Hocus Pocus Pops. I recognized them from Tweety's Sweet shop at the Magical Mall. I do have a question for you though. How do you know about magic when you're not a witch? Are you a squib?"

"How do you know I'm not a witch?"

"I can sense it. Just as I could sense that you had trace magic on you."

Penelope hummed. "Haven't heard that before, but you're right. My parents were hippies and the crowd they brought me up in included witches and wizards. It's hard to explain how we got away with that, but we were a pretty close-knit group and the MACUSA wasn't going to break up our little community. Magic is just something I grew up always knowing about. I had magical friends I played with and everything. Though admittedly I got jealous sometimes which is probably why I started liking technology so much because they couldn't use it often without breaking it," she tacked on quickly in one breath.

"Well, my uncles and mom and I are trying to make magic and tech work together. Really, I'm surprised no one's figured it out yet."

"Well, they have to an extent," Penelope explained. "Anything prior to the forties they've configured pretty well, like the radio. Then tech from there to the seventies can work well enough with magic as a power source, but it's not as easy, so it's not common. It's when you start working with anything digital that magic makes tech go wonky. That's why televisions, computers, and phones don't work in areas with a lot of ambient magic."

Spencer leaned forward. "Do you think ambient magic could be a form of radiation? O-or maybe magic runs on its own frequency? Or-"

Gideon had to call an end to the conversation before they all got distracted from the homicides they were supposed to investigate. Before Harry left though, Penelope babbled about how cute he was, resulting in Harry declaring he was too old to be cute.

"I turn seven next week!" Harry pouted.

"Next week?" Penelope repeated. "Your birthday's next week? Is there a party? Am I invited? I'll bring lots of presents. It's an aunt's job to bring lots of presents."

Harry smiled brightly and looked at his dad. Hotch rolled his eyes but smiled and nodded.

"Of course you're invited Aunt Pene-," Harry stopped and tilted his head. "No, just Aunt Pen. If you like."

Penelope squealed and did a little happy dance in her chair, hands over her heart. Harry left and Penelope calmed down enough to speak. "Oh my gosh, he's so cute. I can't believe he came from Mr. Stoic over here."

"He didn't," Hotch deadpanned. "Didn't you notice his accent?"

Penelope blinked. "I thought he was pronouncing some of his words oddly, but I couldn't really tell it was an accent."

"British," Hotch informed. "He's been working on his American accent the last few months. Haley and Sirius keep telling him his accent makes him sound distinguished, but Harry doesn't care. He's a kid and he's never liked attention for any reason. He thinks it'll help him fit in."

The topic was dropped, and the team went to work.

...

*Sirius Black's birthday is canonically November 3rd. I figured he spent November first tracking Pettigrew down and found him in the morning on the second. It's actually really sad he lost everything right before a day he would normally spend celebrating.

*The Potters were left out of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Families because of their muggle leanings as well as the fact that "Potter" is also a muggle surname. However, the founder of the Potter Family lived in the 12th century. Linfred of Stinchcombe was known as the "Potterer" to his neighbors. As this was a time when they used "_Name,_ son of _", his son Hardwin was known as "Hardwin son of Potterer" which he shortened to Potter. Ergo: Hardwin Potter. The Potters were still a very old family and several of its members served on the Wizengamot throughout history, so I figured they had a family seat, like the House of Lords in British Parliament. Then Harry would be considered a Lord, like Sirius Black is considered a Lord.

Teaser: Next chapter includes Dumbledore...hehehe!


	6. Dumbles

Told you it would only take a couple days and that this would be a nice long chapter!

There's going to be a fairly big time jump after this chapter, and my style of summarizing most of what happens is going to come back. This is good though. It means I can finally move on to some of the good stuff! I have a vague outline of what will happen for the next 4 years of Harry's life, so it all depends on what details come to me that will determine how many chapters come out of that.

As usual, I don't own any of these characters. I take a direct quote from the book, but it's obvious what it is. I hope you enjoy and leave a review!

...

Dumbles

...

On July 31st, a party was held at the Hotchner house with all of Harry's friends and some of their parents from Tae Kwon Do. Every member of the BAU also showed up plus Rossi and Hawkins, as well as Haley and Aaron's remaining family. Harry had met Jessica more than his adoptive grandfather and loved her like his two other aunts. Grandpa Roy, as Harry was supposed to call him, always gave him an uneasy feeling though. Still, Harry was polite, and Roy treated him well enough even if their interactions were all superficial.

Harry was excited to meet his Uncle Sean though, as this was the first visit the man could make to see him. Aaron had told Harry a bit about Sean at first, but eventually called his brother up for Harry to speak to himself. Unlike with Aaron, Sean had no problem speaking to his nephew for hours at a time every few weeks. However, neither he nor Jessica or Roy were told Harry was a wizard.

Everyone hoped this wouldn't backfire on them, as they weren't sure if Harry's birthday would pass without any uninvited guests showing up. If they did, Hotch had a plan in place. All evidence of magic was locked away in Aaron's home office or tucked into Harry's closet, and Remus's constant glares at Sirius whenever he showed off "magic tricks" kept the man-child from doing anything too exotic.

Everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves outside, either in the large inflatable pool, playing games, or just lounging around. It was as Haley went inside to get the cake that an owl swooped over Sirius and dropped a folded note into his lap. Luckily only a few of the guests had seen the incident, and Sirius was able to laugh it off as prank of an eccentric friend while hurrying to Remus's side.

The note contained only four words written in looping handwriting:

_It's time we talk._

Haley then rushed out of the house and over to Aaron where he was standing with Gideon and Rossi, whispering a few words that had him searching out Sirius and Remus. They both got the hint and walked over as discreetly as possible. Spencer and Morgan broke off from Harry, making the boy stay outside with JJ and Penelope. They as well as Hawkins and Rossi stayed outside to distract the partygoers from what was happening.

Hotch led the way in the house, the fire in his eyes burning just as brightly in his wife's. Gideon, Reid, Morgan, Remus, and Sirius came up behind them, the former two pulling their wands and aiming at the old man sitting comfortably on the couch in the front living room.

"Good afternoon," Albus Dumbledore greeted with a genial smile.

Hotch unclenched his jaw. In a tightly controlled tone, he growled, "Not here."

He pointed to the hall and turned his back to lead the way, something he wouldn't feel comfortable doing if he didn't know the others had him covered. Dumbledore followed him to his office, and when everyone was inside, Remus cast a silencing charm around the room.

Sirius stalked toward the man who'd taken a seat on one of the armchairs. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I thought we should talk about what happened. I came to apologize," Dumbledore said.

"No," Hotch interrupted. "You came for answers." Sirius took a deep breath and a step back to let Hotch have the room. "You came for Harry."

"Mr. Hotchner-"

"_Agent_," Hotch interrupted, "Hotchner. You came for Harry," he repeated. "You knew as soon as Sirius was free, he would try to find Harry Potter, whose last known whereabouts were in Washington D.C. I was an American who brought up a five-year-old British case completely unconnected to me, who Sirius then left with to go to the United States. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots," Hotch hissed. "Out of the two of us, you thought Sirius would be the one to take guardianship of Harry, but there was no guarantee Harry would be with him at the time you made contact. So you waited until today to send Sirius a letter with a tracking charm on it because of all days, you knew that if Sirius had found Harry, he would be with him on his birthday."

Dumbledore did a good job of showing no emotion to Hotch's deductions, but the profilers still noted the break in his breathing pattern and the twitch of his eyelids, as if he was fighting a blink.

Hotch continued in a calmer voice. "I wonder if it ever occurred to you just how easy it was to find us. Didn't you think we would wonder if you would seek us out? You seemed so eager to speak to us after the trial; one of the reasons we hurried out of the ministry that day. We knew letters could have tracking charms on them. We could have set up wards on Sirius and around our house. In fact, we did. But we dropped some of those for today and only kept the ones that would keep out people who wished us harm. Or did you not wonder at the lack of resistance upon entering our home?"

This time Dumbledore did blink.

"You want answers, Dumbledore." Hotch narrowed his eyes. "So do we."

The other men smirked at the old wizard who realized he had fallen into a trap.

"You showed up unannounced and uninvited for answers that you have no right in knowing. I will grant you them anyway, but not right now. Now is _not_ the time to talk. Now is the time we celebrate Harry's birthday. _We_ not including you. If you want your answers, you will sit here in this room until the party is over. You will not leave or be seen by anyone, especially as you're wearing a ridiculous robe that threatens the Statute of Secrecy." Hotch jabbed. He gestured to the others that they were leaving.

Morgan muttered in question, "Are you sure it's okay to leave him in there?"

Hotch shrugged. "There's nothing too personal in there, and I doubt he'd get past the photos included in my case files."

The rest of the party went off without a hitch. All who knew of Dumbledore took great satisfaction in making the man stew for a few hours. Harry had been told of his arrival and only nodded in acceptance, returning to his fun.

As the afternoon wound down, the guests started making their goodbyes. Sean was the only family staying over, and Aaron knew they would probably have to tell him the truth before he left again. His brother proved not to be a problem when Sean immediately returned outside to lounge on a floaty in the pool after cleaning up, which he couldn't do with the kids playing there earlier.

Knowing they had a good hour of privacy, Hotch went to the study to find Dumbledore reading one of his novels. Hotch immediately went over to his desk and opened the first drawer. A manila folder was on top, out of place from where Hotch had left it. He held it up and smirked at Dumbledore.

"Reason number one of why not to snoop: you may not like what you find." He sat the file down. "Living room," he stated and then walked out, expecting Dumbledore to follow.

Haley was sitting on the couch next to Harry. Hotch sat on his other side and the other adults, including the two wizards and every member of the BAU, arranged themselves around the room. Hawkins and Rossi had both been invited to stay, but only Rossi accepted the offer. In truth, this was the most excitement he'd had since retiring. Being a famous author was fun, but he missed the BAU.

Dumbledore took the seat that was clearly meant for him and looked around at all assembled. His gaze lingered on Harry for a moment, studying every inch of the boy. He seemed quite healthy. It was like a miniature James Potter was staring at him with Lily's eyes, slightly hidden behind rectangular glasses, blank face betraying none of his thoughts. Turning to the others in the room, Dumbledore was met with crossed arms and judgmental faces.

"My name is-"

"We know who you are," Haley stated. "Haley Hotchner, Harry's _mother_. This is my husband Aaron, Harry's _father_."

Dumbledore glanced at Remus and Sirius and raised a brow at their lack of protest. They glared back at him and he sighed.

"I meant what I said earlier. I did come to apologize to you Sirius," Dumbledore said.

"You told everyone that I was the secret keeper," Sirius hissed in a voice laced with anger. "I understand that. I forgive you for that. It was what we wanted everyone to think. What I don't understand or forgive is that you let me rot in prison without giving me a trial!" he shouted. "It was your job! It was your job as Chief Warlock to make sure I had a trial! And even if it wasn't, you never questioned that I was guilty. Did you really think so badly of me? Hmm? I would have thought that your need to always know the truth would have at least led to you coming to question me in person about why I supposedly did those horrible things."

Dumbledore closed his eyes and sank in his chair. "I'm sorry," he said solemnly. "You're right. Though it was not my job alone, I was charged to make sure the law was carried out and that you were given a trial. That was my mistake and I admit it, but if you will please allow me to explain?"

Sirius waved him on angrily.

"That time was so hectic. We were all scrambling for order. Though Voldemort was gone and many of his Death Eaters were fleeing or surrendering, pleading the Imperius Curse, there was still chaos. People still weren't safe. I suppose my defense is that I was stretched too thin trying to run Hogwarts and help the ministry as well as work with other governments our war had affected. You…slipped through the cracks."

"You mean I wasn't important enough to consider when you had bigger problems. Then you just forgot about me."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. I thought it was clear you were guilty and the matter resolved. I'm sorry, Sirius. I truly am. I know that doesn't make up for what happened, but I didn't do this to you on purpose or out of spite."

Sirius huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine. I believe you. I'm still angry at you, and even if I forgive you, I don't trust you. Not anymore."

"That's fair."

"What I want to know," Remus interjected, "is why you never let me see Harry." He glared a bit.

Dumbledore straightened his back. "I told you years ago. I believed the less interference the magical world had with the Dursleys, the better they would adjust with Harry. Petunia didn't like magic or anyone associated with it. I thought that while she would make allowances for her nephew, anyone else may stretch her tolerance too far. Additionally, I didn't want Harry growing up knowing he was famous. He deserved a normal childhood."

Hotch narrowed his eyes. "Except that wasn't your call. You had no business in deciding who Harry lived with, who he could associate with, or what knowledge he could have about the magical world. James and Lily Potter made it clear in their will who they wanted to raise their son; a will which you purposely ignored."

Dumbledore's eyes flickered to Harry. "I placed Harry with the Dursleys because it was the safest place for him."

Morgan scoffed. "Safe?"

Hotch raised his hand to stop him and gazed at Dumbledore to continue.

"When Lily sacrificed herself for her son, it activated old blood magic. Voldemort could not touch Harry physically nor harm him magically. That is why the killing curse Voldemort cast at him rebounded, leaving Harry with only a scar." Harry touched the lightning bolt cut on his forehead. "The magical protection would remain active if a blood relative on his mother's side took him in. Voldemort's followers were still active. I knew they would want revenge on Harry, so I placed him with Petunia, his mother's sister."

"I see your logic," Hotch admitted, "but that doesn't excuse your actions or the consequences. First, what authority did you have?" Hotch glared. "None. You had no right to interfere in Harry's placement or seal the Potters' will. You abused your power as Chief Warlock to enact your own plan because you were so firm in believing you knew best. Don't you think Harry's parents knew what was best for him?"

"It was safest-"

"No!" Hotch interrupted. "It wasn't. Not physically, not magically, not mentally or emotionally. In _no way_ was it safest for Harry to be placed with the Dursleys!"

Harry grabbed Hotch's arm as the man leaned forward in anger. Hotch immediately pulled his anger in check.

Reid stepped forward. "There are several flaws to your logic. Most stem from the fact that the Dursleys didn't like magic, which you yourself just admitted to knowing. I researched blood wards, so I know that they're powered by emotion-based magic. They're only as strong as the emotions between the carer and the cared. Lily enacted the wards based on her blood, so Petunia took over as the carer after her death, but if she never had strong, positive emotions for Harry, then the wards wouldn't be powered from her. In return, Harry would feel that lack of love and care little for her, so he wouldn't be powering the wards much either. They would still be there, but they probably wouldn't have held up under any direct attack. Really, the only reason Harry was safe all these years was because no one in the magical community knew where he was." Reid explained. "Did you ever go and check the status of the wards yourself? Or send someone to do it?"

Dumbledore paused. "I stationed a squib in the area to keep an eye on Harry. Any witch or wizard living there would draw attention."

"But you never checked the wards?"

"No."

"Well, there's no way to ever prove it, but from what I know, they probably would have been fairly weak."

Dumbledore frowned. "Just because Petunia disliked magic-"

"_Dislike_," Morgan said, "isn't the word I would use. You have no idea what you sentenced Harry to. Do you? Want to know why Remus here lied to you all these months about not finding Harry even though he knew you were still looking?"

Dumbledore looked at Remus to find the man glaring heavily.

"It's because we told him what happened when _you_ decided to put him with Harry's 'family'," Morgan said.

Harry stood up, drawing everyone's attention. "They hurt me." He stared intently at Dumbledore breathing shakily. "They always called me boy or freak. They told me I was worthless. They told me I was bad and deserved to be punished for no reason. They hit me," Harry listed with emotion building in his voice. Haley put her hand on his shoulder. "Petunia would slap me on the face almost every morning. Once she hit me with a frying pan. Vernon whipped me with his belt whenever something bad happened. He said it was my fault. My freakishness. Dudley was encouraged to bully me. He tripped me, punched me, and kicked me. He would hurt anyone who was nice to me, so I never had any friends. They reduced me to a slave. They made me clean all day, inside and out. They made me cook for them even though I never got to eat that food. I had to steal to not starve. And whenever they wanted, they locked me in the cupboard under the stairs. That was my bedroom. They hated me. You put me with them knowing they didn't like magic users. What did you think would happen? Did you really think they would put all their hate aside just because I was related to them?" Harry asked with tears in his eyes.

Dumbledore gaped at Harry with a pale face.

"No," he gasped. "That couldn't have happened. Petunia wouldn't have…" he looked around for support.

Hotch swallowed. "I have the medical report that documents the abuse Harry suffered at the hands of the Dursleys. You can have a copy if you want."

Dumbledore looked at them with wide eyes. For a minute, no one said anything. Harry sat back down, Haley wrapping an arm around him.

"I didn't know," Dumbledore whispered. "I swear to you, I didn't know it was that bad."

"_That bad?_" quoted Morgan.

"The reports Arabella gave me said that Harry was quiet and shy. That he was small and prone to bumps and bruises. I guessed that Harry probably wasn't treated equally to the Dursley's own son, but I thought he was still being adequately cared for. Nothing in the reports said that he was being abused."

"You're an idiot," JJ deadpanned. "You took responsibility for him by placing him with the Dursleys, so it was your responsibility to check on him."

Sirius hissed, "You should have given him to me." Dumbledore looked at him. "Maybe if I had been allowed to take him that night instead of Hagrid delivering him to you, I wouldn't have gone after Pettigrew. Maybe I would have taken care of Harry from the beginning. There would have been plenty of ways to protect him without putting him with the Dursleys, and you know it."

Reid chimed in. "Even if Sirius hadn't gotten custody, there were plenty of people James and Lily listed to be Harry's guardians. The Longbottoms for instance. If you had placed Harry with his godmother, you would have put up every protection possible. Right?"

Dumbledore blinked, his eyes crinkling as he followed Reid's line of thought. "Yes," he admitted in a whisper.

"And those protections probably would have kept the Death Eaters away from the Longbottoms long enough for them to escape or for help to arrive. Wouldn't they have?"

"Yes," Dumbledore admitted again.

"Then the Longbottoms wouldn't have been tortured into insanity if you had just followed the Potters' will."

Dumbledore sat quietly.

"Your unilateral decision didn't just cost Harry five years of his childhood," Reid continued in a calm, even tone. "It cost Sirius Black five years in Azkaban. It cost Remus Lupin the last of his family. It cost Frank and Alice their sanity. It cost Neville Longbottom his parents. It cost everyone who knew and loved Harry the loss of being with him as he grew up. It cost _too much_. Your decision cost _lives_ and could have cost so many more if Harry hadn't wound up with us. The worst monsters in the world are made by abuse. You could have made Harry hate muggles because of what his aunt and uncle did to him. You could have made him the next Voldemort."

Harry looked up at Spencer. "I would never be like him." His aunts and uncles smiled softly at him.

"We know," Haley soothed. "We know." She turned a hard glare to Dumbledore. "But you didn't."

"You made a mistake, Dumbledore," Hotch stated. "You made a big mistake. This is your chance to fix it. Harry is safe and he's _happy_. Does that mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does," Dumbledore snapped, some fire returning to his eyes.

"Then you should have no problem with Harry staying with us, though it really doesn't matter if you agree or not. Haley and I are his legal guardians. Sirius is his magical guardian. It is up to _us_ where Harry lives. Understood?"

Dumbledore sighed again and nodded. He knew there was nothing he could do. He wasn't sure what he _would_ do if he could.

"Good. On to other matters," Hotch said calmly. "You are going to tell us everything. I know there's more to this Voldemort then what we've been told. You carefully avoided saying he was dead before. He isn't, is he? Remus told us you believed he could come back. I think you know how."

Dumbledore shook his head. "There is nothing you can do."

"I think we might surprise you."

Dumbledore glanced at Harry. "Perhaps we should have this conversation in private."

"Harry will stay and hear everything. It's his life. He deserves to know the truth."

"He's too young."

"I believe otherwise."

"You will ruin his childhood."

"You already did!"

The two men glared steadily at each other. A small voice broke the staring contest.

"Why did it only happen with me?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry.

He explained. "Uncle Moony and Auror Hawkins told me that no one knew how I survived while Voldemort was defeated, but you said it was because my mum sacrificed herself for me. I couldn't have been the only one though. Right? I mean, didn't other parents sacrifice themselves for their kids?"

Dumbledore thought for a moment. "I'm sure they would have if given the choice," he said slowly.

Gideon spoke for the first time in the back corner he had situated himself in. "Does that mean no one but Lily was given a choice?"

Dumbledore frowned briefly.

"It does." Gideon smiled. "This blood protection is activated with a sacrifice. That means Lily had the chance to live, but knew Harry would die if she took it. What possible escape did Lily have? According to the story, she was cornered with no way to escape, magical or otherwise."

Dumbledore remained silent.

Gideon tilted his head. "Voldemort gave her the choice to live."

Everyone looked back and forth between Dumbledore and Gideon.

"Why would Voldemort do that?" Gideon asked rhetorically as he worked through the problem. "She was a muggleborn and Voldemort wanted to kill her and James. He'd been after them for over a year. Unless…" Gideon glanced at Harry. "It wasn't James and Lily he was really after."

Dumbledore looked away. "Harry is too young to know right now."

"Am I the reason my parents are dead?" Harry asked immediately, clearly having come to the same conclusion Gideon did.

"No!"

The rebuttal came from almost everyone in the room.

Sirius kneeled in front of Harry. "_Never_ think that, pup. Your parents loved you and would do anything to protect you. The only one to really blame for their deaths is Voldemort. Okay?" he asked desperately. "I know about guilt. I know about blaming yourself. It was my idea to use Peter as the Secret Keeper, but I've come to realize that him betraying us was not my fault. Was it?"

Harry shook his head "no" rapidly.

"It was Peter's choice to betray them. It was his fault. It was Voldemort's choice to kill your parents. It was his fault. No one else's, and certainly not yours. Understand?"

Harry nodded quickly. Hotch and Haley both curved in closer to him.

"The question still remains of why Voldemort would be after Harry," Gideon stated in his bland tone. "He was a baby."

JJ stepped closer. "Give us a straight answer Dumbledore. After everything you've done, you owe Harry the truth. No more lies. No more manipulations. You came after Harry when he went missing. Why? Because he's important. You need him for something. If you want him to help you in the future, you're going to have to earn his and all of our's trust."

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "Alright. I will tell you the truth, but I ask two favors. The first is that you don't push for _all_ of the truth just yet. I know you don't trust me, but can you trust that there are some things which you are just not ready to know yet?"

Everyone exchanged glances. Hotch nodded. "Alright. We'll accept that for now if you can give us an idea of when we _will_ be ready."

"You'll never be ready," Dumbledore answered easily. "But I will tell you when necessary. Voldemort is quiet now. Should he come back, there will be signs beforehand. I will tell you then so you may prepare. The second favor is that you tell no one what you learn today. It is vitally important. Sirius, Remus," he addressed. "I would like you two and Harry to learn occlumency."

"Why not us," Reid asked, slightly offended.

"Well, you're-"

"No-Maj's?" Reid asked incredulously. "Sorry, muggles?" he snorted. "Yeah, I read about Legilimency and Occlumency. Mind magic," Reid explained to the others' questioning looks.

"Legilimency is the art of looking into someone else's mind, which we can't learn because we can't use a wand and have no active magic. Occlumency on the other hand is the art of protecting one's mind from invasion and requires no use of a wand. In fact, magic isn't required at all, it just makes it easier. Occlumency requires extreme concentration to organize one's mind into a fortress; a mental barrier. It's usually done through self-meditation or one-on-one collaboration between a master of both occlumency and legilimency and their student. The idea is not limited to magicals," Reid told Dumbledore.

"It's known as the Method of loci and it's been around for thousands of years. The technique is usually used to enhance memory. I myself tried it out when I was ten and found I improved my speed of learning by eleven percent while retaining the same amount of knowledge as before. However, as the method has also been called the 'Mind Palace' technique, I suspect it's about the same as occlumency. Why," Reid suggested, "don't you test me? I mean, if you're a legilimens that is. I've kept up the technique in organizing my mind, so if you can't get pass my defenses, then we'll know if muggles can do occlumency too."

Dumbledore was slightly taken aback. "Are you sure? It is no small thing, to intrude on someone's mind."

Reid shrugged. "I'm curious."

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and cast the spell at Reid, all while maintaining eye contact. The seconds ticked by with neither man moving. Reid was the first to react, gasping and bending over as if he'd run a marathon.

Dumbledore was also breathing heavily. "Interesting," he said. "For someone who has never had a teacher, your occlumency shields are quite strong. I had no idea muggles were capable of the art."

Reid held a hand to his head and winced. "Thank you."

"You'll probably have a headache for a while. It's common, but they will occur with less frequency and severity the stronger your shields get, which will only happen if a legilimens tests them every few weeks."

Morgan sighs, "So we need to learn this to keep wizards from looking into our minds." He leans back. "Fine. I'll learn it. I don't want nobody messing with my head."

Agreements were shared all around.

"What's so secret that we have to learn occlumency?" Hotch asked.

"A prophecy," Dumbledore stated. "It was lucky that I was the one the prophecy was made to. I have the seer who made it well-protected. Shortly before Harry was born, a prophecy was made that told of Voldemort's defeat. It goes: _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies._"

"Vague," Rossi commented.

Dumbledore frowned. "I'm afraid that-"

"It's vague," Morgan supported. "How did Voldemort learn about this if you were the one who heard it?"

"One of his followers overheard the first part of the prophecy and reported back to him the lines on how to identify the child. To my knowledge, Voldemort has never learned the entirety of the prophecy."

"Reid," Hotch turned to the frowning young man and raised his brows in question.

Reid looked up in thought, "If you're looking at it from an analytical standpoint, any child born at the end of July could be the one referred to as long as their parents went up against Voldemort three times. However, then the line about Voldemort 'marking him as his equal' makes it clear that Harry is that child, since Voldemort literally marked him with that scar. _Interestingly_, this is only because Voldemort tried to kill him as a baby before he could grow to be a threat. Theoretically, if Voldemort had never learned of the prophecy, it never would have come into effect. It's an example of self-fulfilling prophecy that's common in classic literature like Oedipus Rex and Macbeth. Simply because Voldemort heard and believed in the prophecy is the sole reason it's true."

"And," Rossi cut in, "he probably doesn't think the prophecy is fulfilled since both he and Harry are still alive. If he ever returns, he's going to see Harry as a threat. He'll never leave him alone," he said while turning to look at the now seven-year-old child.

Harry's face turned downcast in disappointment and sadness. The man who'd killed so many was still out there somewhere, and he was going to force his way back into Harry's life sometime in the future.

"This is why I didn't wish to tell you," Dumbledore said sadly.

"No," Hotch said. "It's good you did. We know now. We have time, hopefully years, to prepare." He looked down at his son. "We'll be ready. Whatever happens, you won't be alone," he said softly.

Harry's lips twitched into a faint smile.

"Any idea what this 'power' Harry's supposed to have is?" Morgan asked.

Dumbledore dipped his head. "A theory."

Remus smiled. "Harry is certainly a powerful wizard. Honestly Albus, we may have to get him a wand early to teach him some practical magic. I'm reaching the limits of what he can learn of theory without some spell-casting."

Garcia grinned. "That's because he's a little smarty-pants! I'm totally going to teach him to code."

"You mean hack?" JJ teased.

"Toe-may-toe, Toe-mah-toe," she retorted. "Hey, maybe that 'power' isn't referring to magic at all," Garcia suggested. "Maybe its technology. I mean, we're so close to making it work and Voldemort doesn't have that. He looks down on everything nonmagical, but imagine how helpful it could be."

"Maybe it's simply knowledge in general," Spencer said. "Think of everything Harry's learning of both magic, science, and other important subjects. Our job only adds to his repertoire of useful knowledge. Profiling can be an extremely powerful weapon against your enemies."

"Mates, let's get real here. His power is having _moi_," Sirius gestured pompously to himself, "as a godfather. Ow!" he whined after Remus elbowed him and rolled his eyes.

"You know," Dumbledore smiled, "In a way you're all correct. Ever since Lily sacrificed herself, I have believed that the power Harry possesses which Voldemort does not is love. I know it may seem like a silly idea," he admitted at their dubious faces, "but Voldemort has never loved anyone nor been loved in turn. He has always been alone as he wanted. He never saw the use in love or relationships. But Lily's love for Harry saved his life. Your love for him gave him a life worth living," he said to the Hotchners. "And now the love you all have for him makes him stronger. You're each giving him tools to protect himself and others. Love is powerful."

No one knew exactly what to say to that. Dumbledore showed he still had some tact when he stood and offered to make his goodbyes. He agreed to come back in a couple months to check on their occlumency progress as well as give them information on Voldemort. The BAU members were very firm in wanting to know as much about Voldemort and the British Wizarding War as possible. Dumbledore also promised that he would tell no one where Harry was. The search would be called off, and, if asked, he'd simply reply that Harry was safe and nothing more.

Dumbledore could tell he was not forgiven or trusted. It would take a lot of time to earn those, but he realized he wanted to earn it. He'd been forced to look as his past actions with a new light, and had to admit he'd been wrong in many ways. The force of the blow to his ego and confidence had him realizing they were much more inflated than he'd thought. All this time he thought he was humble, when in reality, he'd become quite arrogant from his successes, and he needed to adjust his behavior, especially in concern to Harry.

He would not be one of the main players in the fight against Voldemort. He realized that now. His time had come and passed. All he could do was help Harry and his allies the best he could. To do so, he would have to break his habit of keeping secrets and share his knowledge of Voldemort. Anxiety built in his chest at the thought, and it saddened him to realize that he was just like Voldemort in that he didn't have anyone he trusted completely. In a way, he was just as alone; just as without love.

Perhaps this not just Harry's chance to have a better life. Perhaps it was his as well. What was that saying? _Better late than never_.

…

Later that night, Aaron sat on Harry's bed to check how he was feeling after the realizations the day had brought.

"I'm okay," Harry replied in a small voice, hugging his knees to his chest. He chewed his bottom lip, thinking. Aaron simply sat there in silence.

Eventually Harry spoke. "I'm going to have to fight him…eventually." He looked up at his dad. "Uncle Gideon is right. If Voldemort thinks I'm the only one that can stop him, then he's going to try to find me and kill me."

"We'll protect you," Aaron promised.

"I know," Harry said. "But…I don't want you to," he mumbled. "I don't want to lose another mom and dad. Or Moony or Padfoot or Spencer or Morgan or Gideon or JJ or Pen or anyone."

Aaron looked away from him and faced forward.

"This is a lot for anyone to handle, especially a child. Maybe Dumbledore was right about that." Aaron clasped his hands together. "We don't have anything to worry about right now. We'll keep an ear out and learn all we can, but really there's nothing to be done but live our lives."

Harry frowned and sighed. "Yeah." He fidgeted with his blanket. "Spencer's right too," he said suddenly. "Knowledge is power. You and the team can fight and catch bad guys because you know how." Harry sat up in determination. "I'm going to learn how to do it too."

Hotch smiled faintly. "Your mother might have a problem with that."

Harry grinned and rolled his eyes playfully. "Then I'll learn lots of other stuff too, like Spencer. He's studied almost every topic I can think of and knows a bunch of random facts. If he didn't though, you couldn't have solved some of cases you worked, or it would have taken you a lot longer to figure them out.

Aaron really did smile at this. "That's right. Spencer contributes a lot to the BAU." Aaron paused, his smile fading. "But Harry, I want you to listen to what I say next."

Harry blinked and gave Aaron his full attention.

"What you heard earlier doesn't guarantee anything. Yes, there was a prophecy, but you heard Spencer. It's only true if you make it true. Forget Voldemort," Aaron said softly. "Don't make any decision based on what you think he'll do _or_ what you think you _have _to do. Do what you _want _to do. If you want to live your life without getting involved with Voldemort, you can do that. Just say the word. If you want to fight against him, you can do that too. I won't let you do it until you're older," Aaron added quickly. "But if you've been trained and are ready, I won't stop you. I'll be right there to support you as much as you'll let me. And if at any time in the future you change your mind on what you want to do, that's okay too, but you're young. You don't have to make any choice right now. Just know that I just want you to be happy."

Harry looked at Aaron for a moment before lunging forward to hug him tightly. Aaron hugged him back, holding onto him for a good minute.

"I love you, dad," Harry said when he pulled away. "I want to help people. Like you helped me. I just-" Harry thought. "I don't want anyone to be hurt by Voldemort or his Death Eaters. That's what I'm afraid of. I'm not scared that Voldemort wants to kill me. That's okay. I won't give up without a fight, and I know you'll protect me. But everyone who protects me is in danger and I don't want them getting hurt protecting me. I don't want anyone to be hurt by nonmagical criminals either," Harry added, trying to explain what he felt. "I just...don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else," Harry decided on. "And if I know it's happening, or going to happen, then I want to help stop it. I need to do it, not because of the prophecy," Harry said. "I need to do it for me, like you need to do it for you."

Once again, Aaron was reminded of just how wise his son already was. He let out a breath. "I was afraid you'd say that." He stood up and tucked Harry in. "Okay. We'll help you learn to fight an evil wizard however we can," he joked, _"but_ only on one condition."

Harry snuggled into his sheets as he waited for his dad to speak.

"Training is not going to be all you live for. If you do this, you're still going to be a kid. You're seven and you're going to have as much fun as any other seven-year-old. You're going to play with friends, and prank your uncles, and…" Aaron cast his mind around, "refuse to eat vegetables."

Harry laughed. "But I like vegetables! Except brussels sprouts," he said and then wrinkled his nose. "And squash, peas, and lima beans. They're gross."

"Personally, I agree. But the point is that you're not going focus on Voldemort. You're going to keep living your life like before. Do you understand?"

"I think so." Harry nodded. "It's not like much would change anyway. I might have a lot to learn, but I always did, and I like learning."

Harry yawned. "Can I ask for something?"

"What?" Aaron whispered.

"Can I take Jiu Jitsu and Kung Fu?" Harry mumbled with his eyes closed. "Master Jordan said I'm ready to learn ground fighting, and I want to learn more hand-to-hand skills since Tae Kwon Do is mostly kicks."

Hotch bit back a smile. "We'll talk to your mom in the morning."

He made it to the door when Harry whispered, "Daddy?"

"Yes," he whispered back.

"Can I ask for something else?"

"What is it?"

"Can I have a little brother or sister for my birthday next year? I really want one."

Hotch swallowed. "We'll see."

Harry mumbled, "Kay," and then fell fast asleep.

...

So my biggest concern with this chapter was getting Harry's reaction right. He just learned that the powerful dark wizard who murdered his parents is out to get him...but he's seven, has spent most of his life abused, and is now surrounded by people who would fight to the death to protect him. He's also learning to protect himself. So...my reasoning is that he wouldn't really panic because he feels safe. Does that make sense?

Also, I was really looking forward to the tongue lashing Dumbledore would get, but then realized that wasn't the BAU's style. I still had him bashed a bit, but needed to do it with both logic and emotion, and who better to open Dumbledore's eyes to Harry's abuse than Harry himself? Dumbledore being knocked down a peg was sorely needed.

Last thing: I didn't realize until writing it just how similar Voldemort and Dumbledore really are. Everyone always compares Harry and Voldemort as foils, but now I realize that Voldemort and Dumbledore are really a better fit when you look at their behavior and desires.

Thoughts on the chapter?


	7. Time Passes

I'm so sorry for the delay with this chapter! Life has been crazy the last couple weeks and I just did not have much time to write. We're starting to move along nicely now though and moving into the actual episodes, so if there is a future delay, it's probably because I am skimming along some of the episodes to incorporate into this story.

There is a long end note for this chapter and it deals with something brought up towards the end. I would like to say in advance that I did not mean any offense with this story. If you have a problem, please PM me and let me know.

As always, I don't own either of these franchises.

...

Time Passes

...

True to Harry's prediction, not much changed with his knowledge of the prophecy.

He continued his magical and nonmagical education; reading many books, filling out activity sheets, and completing online state tests to prove his academic level, which was advancing faster than ever with his proficiency of occlumency. Any worry over his social life was dispelled with Harry's continued martial arts and the afternoons he spent playing with other kids in his neighborhood. His relationship with his parents was as strong as ever, as were his relationships with his various aunts and uncles.

Harry and his family had succeeded in making technology work not just _with_ magic, but _by_ magic a couple months after his seventh birthday. Spencer's theory of ambient magic being a form a radiation was correct, which explained why no one had been able to merge magic and digital technology before*. Most wizards wouldn't have thought of the interference magic caused to technology in scientific terms, and the few that did wouldn't have had the training or proper tools necessary to reconcile the two. The researchers themselves had to "borrow" special equipment from the FBI to observe and analyze magic's ionizing radiation frequency and wavelength. This is what caused the tech to break. Spencer likened it to gamma radiation, though obviously magic wasn't harmful to living creatures, or people would develop cancer.

In fact, the opposite seemed to be true. Magical radiation seemed to have a positive effect on all living biological material it came into contact with. The radiation seemed to be a by-product of preforming magic, like how energy was released when splitting an atom with nuclear fission, though the team still hadn't delved too deeply into this area, as their main focus was still on making technology work with magic. Once the group had their analysis though, they came up with a fairly simple solution.

Any tech they wanted to run on magic was modified with a carved, warded quartz crystal acting as both a magical shield and a conducting battery. Magical beings had been using quartz as rune stones for millennia. The stones were abundant in many geographical regions of the world and were able to store a decent amount of potential energy. Funnily enough, nonmagicals had recently begun applying it in technology due its hardness, resistance to heat, and – perhaps most important – frequency standard.

Once the quartz was shaped, runes were carved onto one end and along the sides. The runes only needed a bit of power from a wizard to activate, like a "jumpstart", and then would be self-sustaining as long as there was sufficient ambient magic to power them, as one of the runes made the crystal act as a sort of vacuum for all magical radiation within a certain distance, meaning the device could be powered endlessly if used by a witch or wizard. This also kept the ambient magic from interacting with and degrading the processors. Instead, the magic would be drawn to and stored in the crystal, which naturally converted the energy to its own frequency, one compatible with electronic devices. The final runes simply acted as a conductor valve, regulating the energy flow into the device to power it.

With this breakthrough in technomancy, a term other magical inventors had been using, Garcia immediately began configuring everyone's personal devices to include both magical and nonmagical batteries, since most of the team weren't around ambient magic enough to have an endless supply of power. She used the experience to teach Harry about computers. Unfortunately, it seemed computer science was one of the few areas Harry simply wasn't naturally gifted in. He could memorize code and various techniques to achieve moderate success, but there was no getting around the fact that he just didn't have the intuition needed for programming and software engineering.

Garcia lamented the fact to no end.

Harry made up for that failure with his engineering capabilities*. Despite not being able to program the technology himself, he showed his Aunt Pen right away that he understood the mechanics of technology when he not only reassembled one of the cell phones they were working on, but redesigned it to make it work better. So, Penelope happily taught Harry how to build a computer from scratch. They designed it themselves to have a magical power source, and once that model was complete, Garcia challenged Harry to build a better one. After he'd finished his second computer, she taught him about televisions, phones, and various gaming consoles.

"You know," Penelope said one day. "I bet there's a market for these."

Harry and Sirius, who had tagged along that day to visit the BAU, looked up at Garcia from her office floor where they were tinkering.

"I'm just saying," she said quickly, "there are a lot of first-generation witches and wizards who grew up using this technology and probably miss it. As far as we know, we're the first people to figure this out! The demand for this tech could be huge with younger population."

Harry turned to Sirius, who was staring at the blonde with somewhat unfocused eyes. A slow grin started forming on his face.

"Leave everything to me," he stated.

A month later, all paperwork had been filed for Vanguard Technomancy Incorporated, all co-owned between Sirius, Remus, Spencer, Penelope, and Harry. Sirius had wanted to call it Marauder Technomancy Incorporated, but Remus thought the name gave the impression they were stealing. Also, they didn't want anyone in the magical world to know where they were. They could get away with anonymity in America, but if someone in Britain heard the name…well, the Marauders had made quite the name for themselves while at Hogwarts. It might be a giveaway. Vanguard just meant "forefront" though, and that's what they were: at the forefront of Technomancy.

A shop space was rented in the magical mall, and Remus quit his magical artifacts job to manage the store along with Sirius, who'd recovered greatly by that time and enjoyed getting out in society. The first product introduced to the American Magical World was a simple television. Of course, it was modified so that it wouldn't require cable and instead be able to pick up broadcasts most regular antenna televisions wouldn't.

Needless to say, it was a rounding success, so much so that they were soon backlogged with orders. It was good that magic could be used to assemble the televisions once they had the designs and all the parts, or else Harry and Penelope would have spent all their time building them. Instead, Remus and Sirius worked on production. Spencer really only acted as a sounding board for new ideas, but as he was an integral part to advancing technomancy, the others all agreed he deserved to be an equal partner in the company. Harry and Penelope were the main inventors, free to design and engineer new tech as often or as little as they pleased.

This worked to their advantage, as there was now a great workload on Harry Potter-Hotchner. Aaron and Haley had to sit Harry down the day after Christmas and talk to him about slowing down and pacing himself. He had been powering through his nonmagical studies, his non-practical magical studies, achieved several belts in his martial arts lessons, and completely redesigned his fourth computer processor.

Apparently, the latest information Dumbledore had delivered about Voldemort had been the trigger of such a work frenzy, which is exactly what Aaron had been afraid of the day of Harry's seventh birthday.

Dumbledore had kept his word on sharing information, though he brought it to them in spurts and not all at once. The team didn't mind this method much as they knew that if they suddenly had a load of information dumped on them, it would take a while to sort through, increasing the chance of them misunderstanding or completely missing something important. Every two or three months, Dumbledore would travel to D.C. to meet with the BAU team. He would check all of their mental defenses, which were coming along nicely, and hand over reports on Voldemort he'd either gotten a hold of or written up himself.

The first two visits had about been basic information on Voldemort and the events of the war. The third visit just before Christmas had included reports on Voldemort's known magical power. The knowledge of just how inadequate Harry's skills currently were to go up against the man turned Harry into a workaholic, and the strain he had put himself under had shown. It had taken all day and talks from every family member for Harry to agree to a lighter workload. Whenever he started to feel stressed, he'd listen to music. Sirius took great pleasure in sharing his obsession for disco music* and even taught Harry how to dance.

Haley suggested learning to play an instrument and Aaron backed her up, but Harry refused every time they brought it up. Aaron dropped it, but Haley didn't. She was his mother and every good mother knows how to manipulate their child into doing something for their own good. She didn't have to bribe him, guilt-trip him, or threaten him with grounding. All she had to do was spend an hour researching the benefits of playing an instrument that included less stress, more patience, and better memory.

Harry agreed to play piano. Haley absolutely held her success over Aaron.

With some help a couple relapses, Harry eventually calmed down and learned to manage his time extremely well. It helped that his need for sleep was reduced to about five or six hours every night, a characteristic that everyone who practiced occlumency shared.

That spring, Harry was overjoyed to learn that he would get his wish in becoming a big brother, though his sibling would not arrive in time for his next birthday. The elation only lasted a couple weeks when it was overshadowed by the loss of Jason Gideon from the BAU. He had been suspended pending an investigation as well as suffering Post-Traumatic Stress from a suspect he'd had in custody setting off a bomb and killing six agents. It was only luck that had prevented his Uncle Morgan from being a part of that group.

With Gideon absent, Hotch was promoted to unit chief and took on more responsibilities. The others were also extremely busy picking up the slack of an absent member. The circumstance made it clear that another member was needed for their team in case something like this happened again.

Harry's eighth birthday came and went. He passed even more standardized tests. He acquired a 1st Dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He passed Remus's practice tests of History of Magic, Ancient Runes, and Potions, proving that he could potentially take his OWLs and possibly his NEWTS in those subjects before he even went off to Hogwarts if he continued his rate of learning. Dumbledore continued to visit, slowly gaining more trust and even comradery with the adults. The team learned everything about the Wizarding War they could. They even found all information about Voldemort, aka Tom Marvolo Riddle, they could using nonmagical means. Dumbledore was still hesitant to share deeper knowledge about the man and was upfront about keeping secrets as he knew it was not time yet for them to know. The BAU didn't like it, but they accepted it as they had enough to focus on with Voldemort's inner circle of Death Eaters.

Voldemort was just one man. If he didn't have an army behind him, he'd be much easier to stop and prevent from causing too much damage when her returned, so that was the strategy the BAU took. In their spare time, they focused on the Death Eaters who escaped justice, identifying them and finding evidence to build a case to put them away for good.

Eventually, Gideon passed the internal investigation and was welcomed back to the BAU. A woman named Elle Greenaway applied for the open position with Morgan's seal of approval. It took some time, but she was eventually let in on the secret of magic. She was visibly weary of that world, but then, she was suspicious of most people anyway. The eye she kept on Harry was misunderstood as just that, which almost made Gideon transfer her. Harry stopped him though, as he realized hypervigilance was Elle's way of showing she cared.

Unlike most other adults, Elle never treated Harry like a child. Perhaps it was her history of working with abused women and children. Perhaps it was the fact that she had also experienced traumatic loss as a child. Perhaps it was that she recognized in Harry the same driving need to prove himself that she herself had. Whatever the reason, Elle and Harry had an understanding that didn't need to be spoken nor even acknowledged. Whenever she wasn't working in the bullpen, Harry would chat with her about her former job. It was in this way that Elle made sure Harry learned how to behave towards women. It was also she who sat Harry down and gave him the child-friendly lesson of how reproduction works and its effect on female anatomy.

Harry was suitably horrified.

"That is so gross," Harry muttered with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

"Yes," Elle agreed. "Yes, it is. And we go through it every month all while having to pretend we're not because of a social construct based on old-fashioned views that menstruation is shameful and embarrassing."

Harry grimaced. "I mean…it's gross…but since all girls do it, it's not wrong. You shouldn't be ashamed or embarrassed from it."

"No, we shouldn't," Elle approved. She leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially, "Want to know how you can make it better for a girl?"

The next time Harry overheard Garcia and JJ complaining of "cramps", he brought out two gift boxes with bright bows on them. The motrin, giant chocolate bars, fuzzy blankets, and microwavable heating pads earned him several hugs and cheek kisses from the ladies, much to the confusion of the men present.

Morgan shook his head at Elle. "I cannot believe you manipulated him and…and _brainwashed_ him like that."

"Excuse you," Elle berated. "I educated him. You and the rest of the male society were the ones indoctrinating him into the antiquated response towards female reproduction. All we women want is a little compassion from our partners. How would _you_ like it if someone drove their hand into your stomach and rearranged your organs? Because that's what it feels like for the first 24 hours _at least_."

"Yeah, Harry," Penelope stood up. "Don't listen to him. My chocolate knight doesn't know what he's talking about in this case. Trust the women who do know, this is the way to go." She smiled softly. "Who needs a boyfriend when they have you," she cooed.

Harry blushed, embarrassed by the whole ordeal. Eventually, after several months of keeping up the tradition, he would become immune to the stereotypical awkwardness surrounding female reproduction, no longer seeing it as a taboo subject. It was just a part of life.

Elle gave herself a pat on the back for that. JJ, Garcia, and Haley gave her pats too.

In October, Harry's little brother was born, and he could not have been happier to have Jack to dote on. Haley was also extremely grateful to have Harry, as he had started doing most of the chores around the house while she was still pregnant. He was also there to help care for Jack, as were Sirius and Remus, who were as wrapped around Jack's fingers as they were Harry's. Haley's sister Jessica was happy to help, but she simply wasn't needed. Haley was grateful she didn't need to uproot her sister's life to take on the responsibilities that Aaron should have been helping her with. Not that she liked the fact that Harry was doing them either. She understood that Aaron had more responsibilities being a unit chief, but she had hoped they'd be lessened with Gideon's return.

The team worked their cases, mostly nonmagical, though there were a couple involving wizards thrown into the mix that they worked with Auror Hawkins.

And then came a case involving possible satanic rituals. Before knowing of magic, they wouldn't deem the case any more threatening than usual, but now they had to consider the possibility of a dark magic user. Over a quick conversation with Hawkins, they concluded that there was nothing to indicate actual magic despite the pentagram, nor were there any witches or wizards living near the small town where the murder took place. Still, the team was weary of not having an expert in magic present. Remus couldn't help as the full moon was the next night, and Sirius wanted to stay with him to ease the transition.

"What about Harry?" Elle suggested.

"What about him?" Hotch frowned.

"Couldn't we bring him? I'm not saying let him see the bodies," Elle said quickly. "If we bring him to the area though, he would be able to sense if magic was involved. If it was, then we call in the MACUSA and send Harry home. If not, we still send Harry home and work the case as normal."

Hotch got permission from Strauss and they boarded the jet. Haley was not happy about Harry being involved, though Harry himself was ecstatic to help. When they arrived on the scene, the BAU did their initial assessment and told Harry to wait in the car until they were ready for him. Harry didn't listen though and ran out of the car a few minutes later.

"Harry!" Hotch scolded as he came to a stop on the path.

The officer with them looked on in confusion. "What's a kid doing here?"

"He's my son," Hotch informed, "and he's here as a consultant. Don't let his age fool you. I told you to wait in the car," he turned his attention back to the eight-year-old.

"How am I supposed to help without being here?" Harry shrugged and breezed past his father towards the group by the skeletal body.

The sheriff showed the same confusion as his officer. "What the?"

"Don't ask," Gideon cut him off.

Harry gazed at the skeleton with narrowed eyes before looking up at the others. "Is this where they were killed? Or was the body just dumped here do you think?"

The sheriff shook himself and answered. "Initial assessment of the scene shows it's likely this is where the guy was killed. Why?"

Harry looked back at the skeleton. "This is wrong."

By this time, the other members of the BAU had gathered around. Morgan asked what they were all thinking. "Wrong how?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Look around Uncle Morgan. We're in the woods. There are a whole bunch of animal scavengers that should have torn this guy to pieces, but he's intact*. He's even got some dried skin still on the breastbone," Harry pointed out.

Reid frown in thought. "You're right."

"So why would-" Hotch stopped himself as Harry kneeled down with his nose barely an inch from the body and audibly sniffed around the chest area.

"Smell that," Harry ordered as he leaned back.

"No thanks," Morgan replied.

Reid leaned down and smelled. "Huh. It's faint, but it smells of spices."

Harry nodded. "I've been reading about body decomposition and factors that might affect it. Animals should have gone at this body, but they didn't because they won't eat certain spices. Cayenne and crushed pepper mostly, but I also smell cinnamon and garlic."

Morgan crossed his arms. "So someone put spices on the body to keep scavengers away. Why?"

"They've been visiting the body," Gideon said. "The question is, who would know to do this?"

"I don't think it would be a medical professional," Reid answered. "If so, then there are plenty of other more effective chemicals they could have used than kitchen spices."

Harry stood up. "Uncle Morgan, can you call Aunt Pen?"

"Sure," Morgan dialed Garcia and put her on speaker.

"Hello, my guilty pleasure, miss me?" she answered in a sultry tone.

"You're on speaker, Garcia."

"…Right. What's up?"

"Aunt Pen," Harry spoke up. "Can you pull up some web browsers? Google, bing, firefox?"

"Sure, but why?"

"I need you to look up, 'how to keep scavengers away from a dead body' though maybe without the 'dead body' part."

Garcia snorted. "Okay. Hold on a minute." The team waited in silence before Garcia came back with, "It looks like they all have similar results. They say to use spices to keep animals away."

"Let me guess," Harry said triumphantly. "Cayenne, red pepper, cinnamon, and garlic."

"Exactly in that order!" Garcia praised.

Morgan smirked and thanked her before hanging up.

Hotch leaned down to mutter quietly to Harry with a significant look, "Anything else you notice?"

Harry glanced at the officers standing around. JJ shifted and addressed the officers, asking if she could talk with them about media coverage. They walked far enough away to be out of hearing range.

Harry spoke quietly. "I don't sense any magic here at all, and Hawkins was right that there's no indication of it. This pentagram? It's sloppy; uneven. No self-respecting wizard would do this. The candle wax is odd too. Its only in this one spot. Sirius taught me about rituals, and the ones that require candles always require at least two. With a pentagram, it'd require five. The red color is also significant. In the magical world, red candles are made with blood, which is why they're only used in blood rituals, most of which are illegal now."

"So we can pretty much rule out any magical involvement in this case?" Hotch asked.

Harry nodded. "Maybe test the wax for blood to be sure, but yeah, I don't think a magical did this."

Harry turned out to be right. While he spent the day at the police station reading, the BAU eventually found the killer to be the Sheriff's own teenage son.

On the way back home, Hotch asked Harry what he was thinking and feeling. After all, Harry had never seen a dead body in person before. After a moment of thinking, Harry answered that he felt okay. He didn't see the fresh body, just the skeleton, so it wasn't as gruesome, and he'd seen photos of skeletons before.

Hotch accepted what he said, but told Harry he didn't want him seeing a dead body again for a long time. Harry only agreed that he wouldn't go looking and would stay away if he wasn't needed.

It was as good as Hotch was going to get. He still scheduled an extra therapy session for Harry.

A few months later, the BAU was called to New Mexico to investigate the murders of five teens. It was there they met John Blackwolf, the only police officer for the Apache on the nearby reservation. Though it was never said outright, the BAU got the feeling that he acted as chief of the tribe.

After stopping a massacre at the reservation's school and earning Blackwolf's grudging respect, Hotch took him aside as the other officers took control of the scene.

"When we asked for your help earlier," Hotch began, "you agreed so that we would stay off Apache land. Tell me, was that so no one outside of the tribe would learn of magic?"

Blackwolf snapped to attention, any trace of humor gone from his face. "What do you know?"

Hotch grinned. "You can relax. My son's a wizard. We found out a while ago, so I know quite a bit about the magical world. Everyone on my team knows the basics of magic as well. We've even consulted with the MACUSA on a few cases in the last year. Is magic how you were able to discern all the people that were involved back at the house where the bodies were found?"

"No," Blackwolf chuckled. "That's just good, old, Apache training. I'm no wizard. My cousin is though. I guess your son is the first magic user in your family?"

Hotch shrugged one shoulder. "Yes and no. He's adopted. His birth parents were both magical."

"Hmm," Blackwolf hummed. "Strange for a known magical child to end up with a No-Maj."

"It's a long story. I was surprised to see evidence of magic being taught in the school though. I was under the impression magic was to be kept secret from nonmagical humans," Hotch stated, wanting to get the topic off of Harry.

Blackwolf snorted. "Ah yes. The Statute of Secrecy." He smirked. "Magic isn't as much of a secret as some governments will have you believe, especially in communities like ours***." He held his arm out towards the school and the reservation beyond. "It was not until Europeans came to the Americas that magic became forbidden knowledge to those unable perform it. The Native Americans always knew of the witches and wizards in their communities. Some may have been ostracized for it, but most were valued members of the tribe; great warriors, healers, and wisemen. That has not changed. Magic is an open secret here, and the MACUSA cannot interfere with our affairs because of the agreements they made with the tribes in reparation for abandoning us to slaughter. Most tribes have chosen not to hide the magical part of their community away, especially as they have a much higher ratio of witches and wizards than most societies in the world."

Hotch frowned. "How high?"

Blackwolf crossed his arms. "Almost half of the kids in that school are magical."

Hotch blinked in shock.

"Which isn't saying much," Blackwolf said. "There only about eighty kids in total."

"Still," Hotch muttered.

Blackwolf explained, "When the Apache were targeted by the settlers and forced into internment camps, many who died were nonmagical. Witches and wizards have better immune systems; their magic just instinctively fights off disease and heals the body faster. With our society being so closed off in the years following, we all became related to each other through marriage. So, after a few generations, most Apache – most Native Americans in general – have a magical family member. This happened to many marginalized peoples in the world. Right now, we have about thirty witches and wizards under the age of eighteen. They learn our ancestor's way of magic here. For most, it's enough, but some choose to study at Ilvermorny. I assume that's where your son will be taught?"

"No. He was born in Britain, so is set to go to Hogwarts. Though, at this point I'm honestly not sure if he wants to go or not. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Well, if he's interested, he's welcome to come study here," Blackwolf offered. "Most of the world has a very strict and limited view of magic. The Europeans started it with their invention of the wand. Some cultures, like those in Asia, accepted it and all the guidelines that came with it because it's easier to teach a larger number of students that way. Admittedly, their style does give every witch and wizard an even and large amount of success in using magic. But there are other ways. Before the wand became commonplace, many cultures had a unique style of channeling magic, and some of them are exponentially more powerful and effective. Native Americans, for instance, have always practiced wandless magic. Most people think it is difficult and only possible for those who are magically powerful. This isn't true," he stated.

Hotch blinked with brows raised as he absorbed this information. He hummed in thought. "I can let Harry know and let him decide what he wants to do." He paused for a moment. "If you have a few more minutes now, I can call him and let you talk to him."

Blackwolf happily agreed and eagerly accepted the phone after Hotch got Harry on the line. Hotch had no idea what questions Harry was asking Blackwolf, but over the next fifteen minutes, Blackwolf's expression became more animated, eyes shining with excitement and pride as he described the various magics Harry could be taught at the reservation.

Needless to say, Harry begged his parents to be allowed to study with the Apache. Jane Bear, who was a witch, made a portkey for Harry that would enable him to travel back and forth from the reserve in New Mexico to his home in Washington DC.

The setup worked perfectly. Remus and Sirius were busy with the store, so couldn't spend as much time tutoring Harry anymore, and they had started to reach their limits of wandless magic they could teach him. Harry also was able to be around kids his own age that he didn't have to hide magic from. For the first time, he could truly be himself.

Yet, he only made one really good friend at the reservation: Samuel Kuruk, a boy two years older than him. He was the most friendly and outgoing person Harry had ever met and could have hung out with anyone he wanted. When Harry joined his magical lessons though, Samuel latched onto him and helped him with his studies, which Harry struggled with in the beginning.

With Sam's help, Harry quickly caught up to his age group in learning wandless magic, herbology, magizoology, potions, and elemental magics.

...

*Yes, I just science Harry Potter Magic.

*In the very first Harry Potter book, in chapter 3 after Harry gets Dudley's second bedroom and comes up with a plan to get ahold of his Hogwarts letter by waking up early, it says, "The repaired alarm clock…" Which means it was broken, but Harry fixed it. An eleven-year-old with no training or hinted experience was able to take apart, fix, and put back together an alarm clock. It is officially canon that Harry is good at mechanical/electrical engineering.

*In the canon timeline, Sirius would have been a child/teenager at the time of disco. I have this idea that Sirius, rebelling against his parents, listened and danced to muggle disco music, which results in this ridiculous vision in my head of Sirius in a jumpsuit and roller skates having the time of his life at a roller disco. He would be too young to for that with this timeline, but I still can't help but include it.

*Rewatching episode 10 season 1, I realized how unrealistic the skeletal body of the hiker was. A body left above ground would have attracted animal scavengers that most likely would have scattered the body parts over various miles. No one in the show really studied the body though, so I had Harry do it and give a plausible explanation for the body being unharmed.

***I AM UNEDUCATED ABOUT NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE AND I FREELY ADMIT IT AND DID NOT MEAN TO CAUSE ANY OFFENSE WITH THIS PORTRAYAL!

I based this part of the story off of JK Rowling's Pottermore accounts of Native Americans. I thought it would be good for Harry to learn of other ways of channeling magic, particularly the talents of Native Americans that she had listed. Then I read about the criticisms Native Americans gave saying it was cultural appropriation and colonialism and degrading to their ancestors and culture.

Please let me explain.

First, I greatly respect Native Americans and understand that not all are the same. Each tribe is different. Apache, Cherokee, Sioux, etc. There're all different. There lived in different areas, spoke different languages, had different traditions, lived with different beliefs and values. "Native American" is a blanket term for a varied group of people, just like "European" encompasses the French, German, British, Italian, etc. Basically, it's to say that everyone living in a certain area falls under that category, but everyone in the category does not adhere to the same culture.

I also respect that I will never understand those cultures and will defer to Native American authority if they have criticisms.

I understand and am horrified by the unspeakable and inhumane treatment Native Americans faced from colonists and settlers, especially during the 1800's.

I in no way meant to give offense or degrade Native Americans.

IF there were witches and wizards in our world and some were Native Americans, it would make sense that they survived those horrors because of the reasons I had Blackwolf say. The fact that ANYONE survived what Native Americans were put through is a testimony of their strength.

Going back to why many present-day Native Americans would be witches and wizards in this story: magic is hereditary. Since Native American populations were greatly reduced, more witches and wizards would marry nonmagicals to avoid inbreeding – like how in Magical Britain, purebloods married half-bloods, muggleborns and muggles, and the population rose. With each generation, more and more of the Apache's descendants would have magic.

If I offended anyone with this portrayal, know that it was not intentional, and I am sorry. Please send me a PM, especially if you have suggestions on how I can avoid doing so in the future.

Please review and tell me what you think!


	8. Moving On

Sorry for the long wait. I had some trouble with this chapter because I felt like I was gettin OOC and moving too far away from canon. I'll let you decide. I don't know when I'll get the next chapter out, but I am always thinking of what comes next. In fact, I have decide the gist of how this story is going to end! It's going to be great... :)

...

Moving On

…

Auntie Elle was shot.

It was right after Dad had to go in during his vacation and made the rest of them stay inside Uncle Siri's and Uncle Remmy's house.

Harry liked staying over there normally, but when he went with his mom and Jack to the BAU to deliver a package, he could tell something had shaken his aunts and uncles. He wanted to help, but his dad said no. It was against the rules, and they couldn't break them again.

He couldn't even go see Aunt Elle in the hospital!

Harry was getting frustrated. Ever since his dad had taken him to help with the possible satanism murder, he had craved to go back into the field, but everyone told him he was too young! He just wanted to help.

He hated standing by and watching as the people he cared about were hurt, but all he could do was pick up another book on criminal psychology and get back to work.

…

Months went by. Elle recovered. Harry turned nine. He worked harder than ever to get stronger, faster, and smarter. Soon enough, he would start high school lessons. Spencer said that if he didn't have magical lessons to keep up with, he might have finished high school even earlier than he did. As it was, Harry did have magical lessons and he kept up with them just as well. Up until recently, he had focused the bulk of his studying on subjects that didn't require a wand. Because of this, History of Magic was his best subject, followed by Ancient Runes and Potions. Remus said that he could take his OWLs in History of Magic by December, which Sirius thought was a relief.

"It'll get you out of Binns's lessons. Nine out of ten students make up for lost sleep in that class," Sirius had whispered conspiratorially.

Harry had not told anyone yet that he was not sure he wanted to go to Hogwarts. He suspected his dad knew though, as Harry just could not summon the appropriate enthusiasm when Hogwarts was brought up.

Then Elle killed a serial rapist. Harry could tell his father was not happy with her. The others acted differently around her as well; they had since she was shot and came back more aggressive than ever. Only now, there was less camaraderie than they had shared before.

Harry was spending the day at Quantico when Hotch rushed out after being informed Elle skipped her psych eval. Harry followed him and hopped in the front seat of the SUV before Hotch could stop him. His dad ended up letting him come without argument.

They saw Elle leaving her apartment and followed her to her father's grave. Hotch got out and talked with her first, then came back to the car and let Harry go speak with her alone. They'd always had a unique bond. They just understood each other, saying so much with so few words.

Elle looked at him sadly as he stopped at her side.

"I'm surprised your dad is even letting me near you right now."

Harry took this as: _I'm not safe to be around. I'm a bad influence. I killed a man I didn't have to and got away with it._

Harry shrugged. "I love my dad, but not even he can keep me from my family when they're hurting." _I know, but this is where I want to be._

Elle smiled faintly. "You think I'm hurting?" _You still consider me family?_

"I know you are." _Yes._

"That's not what the others seem to think."

"Well, adults can be stupid sometimes."

Elle chuckled. "They don't approve of what I did."

Harry stood silently, thinking as he said slowly, "I don't think they're really in a position to judge."

Elle looked at him. "So you have no opinion?"

Harry looked up at her and shrugged. "I have an opinion, but what does it really matter? It doesn't change anything. Whether it was right or wrong, I know sometimes it's not that simple. You made a mistake and the guy was let go. You felt like you failed. You wanted to make it right for everyone he hurt, and I think that included you. Except," Harry paused, "shooting him didn't make the pain go away. Did it?"

Elle blinked back tears and looked away. "But I still don't regret it." _That's what's wrong._

Harry carefully took her hand in his. "You'll always be my Auntie Elle." _I know you. It's okay. You're okay. I still stand by you._

Elle choked on a sob and clasped his hand tightly, using her other hand to wipe away the few tears that had fallen. She never cried, never, not since her father died. Not even when she was shot, when she was dying, when she was hurt and scared and alone. But here was this kid who saw how much pain she had been hiding behind her anger and bravado and made her feel human again.

"Do you even know what I've done?" she asked in a watery voice.

"Of course." Harry answered with a blank face. "You confronted a suspect and he pulled a gun on you. You shot him to defend yourself."

Elle froze, wide eyes meeting Harry's until he smirked.

"Plausible deniability Auntie Elle. Plausible deniability."

A startled laugh broke Elle out of her shock. "So what now?" Because Elle realized that was all that mattered. As for what happened, she knew that Harry would leave it where it belonged: in the past – _her_ past, one that only she needed to live with. He won't judge her for it, he'll never bring it up again, and he won't hold it against her. "Where do we go from here?" she asked softly.

Harry tilted his head. "I don't think you should stay with the FBI."

Elle sighed, her emotions now under control. "Pretty sure I don't have a choice. I think your dad is going to fire me."

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Guess there's only one thing you can do then. You have to quit."

Elle snorted a laugh again.

"But I actually think the FBI's never been the place for you. Don't take this the wrong way, but…you've always seemed kind of angry at the world," Harry said. "And working for the FBI comes with a lot of red tape. Anger and red tape don't mix well," he stated seriously.

"So I need a job with no red tape?" Elle asked.

"More like a job where no one can prove you cut the red tape. Where you can bend the rules and skirt the line, but, if you know what you're doing, still technically follow the law. Where can choose your cases and focus on them until you get your guy, no matter how long it takes you," Harry said.

"Sounds like you've got an idea."

Harry took in a deep breath. "I've got a proposition," he said slowly.* He'd been thinking of this for a while and even done some research on it. He looked up at his unofficial aunt. "Become a private investigator. I've got a large inheritance and made a lot of money from VTI. I'll fund you and everything you need. I'll even help with some of the legal stuff since I've memorized all of dad's law books…most of dad's law books," he corrected after Elle's dubious look.

She crossed her arms. "What's the catch?"

Harry smiled in relief that she was considering it. "We need more evidence on Voldemort's followers. I've looked at some of the incidences they caused during the war, and I'm pretty sure there are victims and witnesses that never came forward, so they were never obliterated."

"You want me to find them."

"A lot of the Death Eaters liked to include rape in their torture."

Elle narrowed her eyes. "Okay. What's the _real_ catch?"

Harry looked up at her and cocked a brow in a move that he definitely learned from Hotch.

"You knew that I'd agree as soon as you said that, so what do you really want?"

"I want to be your partner. Eventually. Once I get my high school diploma," Harry said quickly. "But I want to be able to help you once in a while until then. Dad won't let me work at the BAU, and I know I'm young and it's dangerous, and there are a lot of scary-"

"Deal."

Harry blinked at her.

"Deal," she repeated. "On one condition."

Harry frowned. "That's what dad said when he agreed to help me learn to fight Voldemort."

Elle looked at him fondly. "The condition is: You don't end up like me."

Harry smiled at her softly. "I don't think it would be so bad if I did."

…

Elle quit the FBI. She and Harry opened their own agency, Greenaway & Potter Investigations. He left out the Hotchner, as he didn't want a stronger connection between the agency and his family, even if he currently only acted as a silent partner. Elle immediately started tracking down possible victims of the British Wizarding War and soon left for England. She contacted Harry every few weeks with updates, which he then gave the rest of the BAU when they worked on the Death Eater files.

Shortly after Elle left, Agent Emily Prentiss was assigned to their unit of the BAU. She had clearly been filled in on Harry's situation, as she didn't question his presence in the bullpen. He could tell his father was suspicious of her, but Harry had a gut feeling that she could not only be trusted, but was also already aware that he was a wizard. She just struck him as someone who didn't go into a situation without knowing everything about everyone. Still, she was kept on the outskirts of the group until she proved trustworthy. Harry approached her after she helped them prevent a terrorist attack and asked her to teach him the languages she knew. They started with French, and Penelope joined in teaching him occasionally.

A couple weeks before Christmas, Harry was at the Apache reserve when he got a call from Elle that changed everything. Derek Morgan had been arrested.

…

"I want a phone call," Morgan said calmly in response to Detective Dennison's question of wanting a lawyer.

After explaining that he needed to call his supervisor and being told that Hotch was already informed, Morgan sat back and pursed his lips.

"I still want a phone call."

…

Jane Bear did not need much convincing to make Harry a portkey to take him to Chicago near the rendezvous Elle had set. How she got from England to Chicago in such a short time, Harry didn't ask. She'd been abroad long enough to make her own connections.

Elle had cut her hair again. Now it was a spiky bob, ending just below her chin with lots of layers and bangs to frame her face. After a short reunion hug, they entered the precinct and stood in the shadows as they listened to the lead detective rail against Derek Morgan, saying that he fit the profile for the murderer of three boys. Harry and Elle exchanged a look and decided to make themselves known.

"Despite your so-called evidence," Elle interjected loudly, causing the BAU minus Hotch to turn to her in surprise, "Derek doesn't fully fit that profile and _nothing _that directly incriminates him. So, my question is, why are you really gunning for him?"

Gordinski narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"Elle!" Spencer cried happily as he rushed forward to hug her. "Harry! What are you two doing here?"

Elle smiled politely after accepting the hug. This was the first time she'd seen the team since she'd left, and there was still some tension between the former coworkers.

"Derek called me. And then I called Harry. We're here to help."

Gordinski protested, "This is an active investigation and you have no authority-"

"We didn't say," Harry spoke loudly to cut him off, "that we were here to help you investigate. We said we were here to help. We're here to help my Uncle Morgan in moral support. Though, we _could _help you investigate as consultants."

"Consultants?" Gordinski parroted, eyes flickering between the odd pair with a disbelieving chuckle.

Elle showed her certificate. "PI. Harry here is my assistant."

"He's a kid."

"He's already a damn good detective. It comes with being Aaron Hotchner's son and spending every day surrounded by BAU profilers."

Gordinski blinked. "You're Agent Hotchner's son?"

Harry nodded and smirked. "Yep." He popped the "p". He saw Elle discretely take out her flip phone and aim the camera at him. "I'm also a genius with an IQ of 181, an eidetic memory, and rank in the 99th percentile for observation and reasoning skills. But even an idiot could come to the same conclusion about you that I did. See, I heard you calling my uncle various bad names with no actual evidence to back up your claims, and I used various reasoning techniques to make a marvelous discovery."

Gordinski took the bait and asked. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"You sir, are an asshole."

Spencer and Emily snorted and choked down their laughter while Gideon's face went blank and he tightly closed his eyes. JJ was the only one to voice her disapproval, even though the glint in her eye told Harry she also found it funny and agreed with his assessment.

"Harry Potter-Hotchner!" she scolded.

Harry made no indication of hearing her and steadily stared down Gordinski with a bored expression on his nine-year-old face. The older detective privately thought that there was something about this kid that was just slightly…_unnerving_. He wouldn't use the word intimidating, but his gut told him that it was best to stay silent, the only reason he hadn't immediately told the kid off.

Gideon calmly stepped forward.

"Harry, you know your dad won't be happy you're here."

"Yep."

"And you know I'm going to have to tell him what you said."

"Yep."

"And you know you'll definitely be punished in some way."

"…Yep."

Gideon brought Harry to Hotch while Elle met with Morgan.

Derek immediately apologized to her and told her he should have stood by her. Elle forgave him easily and just like that, it was like old times between them. She assured him that she would do what she could and then left to do her own investigating.

Meanwhile, Harry was grounded. He had to stay in the observation room, even when left alone, and he was not allowed to talk to anyone. He kept himself busy with memorizing the layout of the building from the framed blue print he took from the hallway denoting emergency exits. It was a habit by now whenever visiting someplace new, and it'd helped him get away with several pranks he'd dared to play at Quantico. Luckily, his dad had allowed him to keep his cell phone, so Elle was able to keep him updated on the case and inform him about the connection between Morgan and the victims through the Youth Center. The knowledge came in handy when watching all of Morgan's reactions as he talked to Hotch.

Maybe if Morgan hadn't spent so much time teaching Harry how to detect lies, Harry wouldn't have caught onto his tells. Maybe if Harry hadn't been abused by his relatives, he wouldn't have recognized what Morgan was really feeling and trying to cover up. But Morgan had taught Harry, and he was abused, so he saw the secret shame Morgan was hiding because he was all too familiar with the feeling.

And when the name Carl Buford was brought up, when Morgan swallowed, when his body went taut like a coiled spring, and when he finally lashed out, Harry _knew_. He may not have known exactly _how_ Carl Buford had hurt his Uncle Morgan, but Harry knew that it was _bad_. As soon as Harry realized that, something snapped into place in his mind and all of the pieces fell into place.

As soon as Hotch left the interrogation room, Harry snuck in.

"Harry?" Morgan asked. "What-"

"No time," Harry said. "Go left out of here, then take the second left hallway, and there'll be an exit on your right."

Morgan blinked at him in confusion.

Harry stared at him, unmoving. "I think I know who the killer is, and so do you."

Morgan sighed. "Harry."

"And I know why."

Morgan's face tightened. Harry's voice lowered to a near whisper. "_He_ killed them…because they were going to tell." Harry's gaze pierced his uncle's.

Morgan gaped at him for a moment and then closed his eyes. "You know." He opened his eyes again and straightened his back, determination setting in. He walked to the doorway and told Harry. "Don't tell them you helped me. You'll only get in trouble. Okay?"

Harry nodded. "Do what you gotta do. I'll try to buy you time, but they'll probably figure it out soon if they haven't already."

Morgan nodded and then was gone. Harry kept his word and snuck out to the bullpen. His father saw him, but didn't make him return to the observation room. He did look over at Harry suspiciously when they found out Morgan had escaped. Harry simply blinked back as innocently as he could. When Gordinski put out a BOLO on Morgan, saying he was considered armed and dangerous, Harry visibly bristled. JJ tried reasoning with Gordinski, but didn't get anywhere. That was when Harry lost his patience.

"You really are a blind, prejudiced asshole!"

"HARRY JAMES POTTER-HOTCHNER!" Hotch immediately scolded.

Harry ignored his dad and stalked up to Gordinski. "You know why I don't like cops like you? Cops like you are the reason my godfather spent five years in prison for the murders of my birth parents when he was INNOCENT!" he shouted. Anyone in the precinct who hadn't already been watching them thanks to Hotch's yell were certainly watching now.

"The investigators in his case had already decided he was guilty, so they purposely ignored evidence that proved his innocence, and now you're doing the same thing to Derek Morgan. Cops like you give cops a bad name!"

"Listen kid-"

"No, you listen!" Harry shouted. "You're so convinced that Morgan is guilty, you haven't even considered another possibility, even when FBI profilers have consistently told you you're wrong, not based on their own feelings, but based on the evidence. Unlike you who holds a grudge against someone! Don't you realize that if you punish the wrong person for a crime, then not only does the person who _actually_ did it gets away, an innocent person's life is ruined? That's not justice! That only serves to spread pain and anger. You may say you want to get the guy who murdered these three boys, but do you really? You just want to feel the satisfaction of pinning these crimes on someone, and if it's someone you don't like, then all the better, right? Well, news flash: your feelings don't matter! Your feelings about a suspect don't matter. Your feelings on the crime don't matter! _No one's feelings matter!_" Harry ranted.

"They can drive you and push you to succeed, but no matter what, they cannot influence how you investigate. They can't make you cut corners or ignore evidence. Your feelings can't blind you because feelings don't matter in an investigation! Only the victim matters. Learning what happened to them matters. Making sure you get the person who hurt them matters."

Harry glared at Gordinski. "You're picking and choosing from the evidence to support your story, but that's just it: IT IS NOT YOUR JOB TO TELL STORIES!" Harry yelled at the top of his lungs. He breathed heavily for a moment before returning to a normal tone of voice. Tears had welled in his eyes. "It is your job to tell the truth," he stated. "You find every piece of evidence. You find the _truth_. And then you tell it all, even if it's not what you want to hear. Even if it means admitting you and your feelings were wrong."

Silence descended on the precinct for a moment. Gordinski's brows were furrowed slightly over wide eyes, as though he were seeing Harry for the first time.

"And if a nine-year-old kid has to be the one to tell you that," Harry added on, "then maybe you shouldn't be a detective."

The two stared at each other intently, Harry's words ringing in everyone's ears. After a few moments of tension, Hotch dared to break the stand-off and stepped closer to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder. "That's enough," he said quietly in a disappointed tone. "Harry, I know you're upset, and you do have a point, but that's no excuse to speak so disrespectfully."

Harry looked up at Hotch with a puckered mouth and sad eyes. "_We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we have entrusted to enforce those laws. _Hunter S. Thompson." Harry glared at the ground and crossed his arms. He muttered petulantly, "I don't care that he's a detective. Gordinski's shown no respect for justice, proper investigative procedure, or Morgan as an FBI agent and fellow law enforcement officer, so I have no respect for _him_." Harry looked up again. "Spencer's made me read a lot about philosophy and sociology. If there's one thing I've learned from it, it's that true respect is not given freely based on position, authority, or achievements. True respect is earned, not once, but continuously, by character alone."

Hotch tilted his head in thought. He looked around to the other BAU members and said blandly, "The downside of having an intelligent child: they really know how to win an argument." He turned back to Harry. "You're still grounded for cursing."

Harry somehow managed to look down his nose at Gordinski as he stated, "Worth it."

Hotch sighed. "Who taught you that language?"

"Padfoot," Harry answered immediately, having no problem throwing his dogfather under the bus.

"He's grounded too. Now go sit in that corner."

Hotch turned everyone's attention back to the problem of finding Morgan. As Harry suspected, they figured out the truth just as he did.

Later, when Morgan and Harry joined them all on the BAU plane back to Washington, Harry sat across from his uncle. The others had kept their distance, shooting glances in their direction every once in a while. Morgan was silent, staring out the window. Harry eventually got tired of it and got up to than plop himself across Morgan's lap, settling himself in with his head resting comfortably against the man's chest.

"You know how I figured it out?" Harry asked in a voice that wouldn't carry.

Morgan wrapped his arms around him in a hug and leaned back. "How?"

"I realized that when Carl Buford was mentioned, you reacted the same way I do when someone asks about my aunt and uncle."

Morgan swallowed. "Harry," he said hesitantly, "I…," he trailed off, not knowing how to ask.

"They hurt me a lot. Called me names. Beat me. Starved me. Made me do a lot of work."

"Anything else?" Morgan asked in a whisper.

"Yeah," Harry answered, "but not like Carl Buford. They didn't hurt me in that way."

"How do you know about _that way_?"

"Elle explained."

"Oh."

They were both silent for a minute.

"I'm ashamed," Harry confessed in a small voice.

"Harry, no." Morgan tightened his arms a bit.

"I know I shouldn't be," Harry said quickly. "I've tried not to be. It wasn't my fault. I didn't do anything wrong. They're the ones who were wrong. I _know_ that. I do, but…" Harry blinked his watery eyes. "I can't help it. My relatives made me feel so weak. It's like, I'm supposed to fight Voldemort and his followers one day, and everyone in magical Britain thinks of me as some powerful hero – which is _stupid _– but what if they knew the truth? That _The-Boy-Who-Lived, _their _savior _couldn't stop one nonmagical from hurting him. They'd think I was weak and, I don't know…wrong_. _And I know that's a stupid way of thinking!" Harry exclaimed. His voice lowered again. "Who cares what anyone else thinks? They don't know anything. It wasn't my fault, but I feel so embarrassed and ashamed anytime I think of someone finding out. I've still got a couple of scars on my back that are noticeable, and I don't want anyone seeing. I don't even want Sam to know, and he's my best friend."

Morgan sighed and rested his chin on Harry's head. "I know exactly how you feel." He ducked his head to look Harry in the eye. "Have you talked to anyone about this?"

Harry squirmed a bit. "I've seen Dr. Oxland for three years. I've talked some stuff out with her, but I don't think she'd really understand this. You do though. How," Harry hesitated. "How do I stop feeling this way?"

"I might not be the best person to ask. I _just _confronted my past, but…I feel better for it."

"Well, that doesn't help. The people who hurt me are dead," Harry said bluntly.

Morgan snorted. "That doesn't mean you can't confront your past. I think part of it is accepting that it happened; it's part of you." Morgan spoke slowly as he thought out each word carefully. "It can make you who you are, but it doesn't have to define you. Harry, you are so much more than what the Dursleys did to you. You're the smartest, bravest, most loyal kid I've ever met, and nothing in your past will change that."

Harry looked up through his lashes.

"Don't do what I did," Morgan murmured. "Don't try to lock this away inside. It only hurts more."

Harry wrapped his arms around him in a hug. "Can I talk to you about it?"

"Anytime."

Harry sighed. "I guess I should talk to dad too. He might have some good advice."

Morgan frowned. "What do you mean?"

Harry stiffened. "Um, I sort of…watched a few interrogation videos you guys did. One of them was of that serial killer Vincent Perrotta. Dad said something to him, and I think…I think his dad hurt him too.*"

Morgan blinked. "I didn't know that."

Harry sighed. "And Spencer was bullied a lot as a kid." Morgan nodded. "Why do all the best people have horrible things happen to them?" Harry asked rhetorically.

Morgan smiled slightly. "Maybe deciding to rise above it is what makes them so good."

…

Harry and Morgan talked a lot the following days, and they both seemed better. Hotch was let in on the situation, but simply told Harry that what he wanted to learn couldn't be taught. It was something one had to figure out for themselves. Something must have resonated within Harry though, because after three years, he finally let go of not only the shame, but also the last of his anger at his relatives. He didn't forgive them, but he firmly decided that their memory would no longer influence him. Dr. Oxland then declared that their sessions, which had been reduced to once every two weeks for the last year, could end with the promise that he could see her on an as-needed basis.

When he practiced his magic at the reserve after that, he found it was stronger and came much more easily. The difference was so noticeable that Blackwolf sat him down in his office to talk about is new abilities.

"Magic is often tied to emotions." the Chief said. "It's clear that whatever internal struggles you've been fighting are no longer present. This is good and bad. It's good because your magic will come more easily to you. It's bad because you may not be able to control it."

Harry gulped.

Blackwolf tapped a finger on the desk as he stared at Harry thoughtfully. "You were already a powerful wizard. Magic is like a muscle in a way. The more you use it, the stronger it gets, especially during childhood. I know enough of you to know that your childhood was not easy, and magic helped keep you alive. That's why your magic is strong. Now it flows through you in a clear path."

Harry frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Blackwolf smiled. "I am not the one to explain it to you. I will say though that it would be wise for you to learn of the ancient civilizations' views of magic. The Greeks, the Egyptians, the Indians, the Chinese – each came up with their own way of explaining magic, but they are each only part of a whole. When you combine their knowledge, you can gain a complete understanding of the power inside of you. My cousin," Blackwolf stated, "can teach you. He has spent many years traveling the world learning exactly that. He is meant to return by the spring equinox. He can help you reach your greatest potential."

Blackwolf's jaw tensed before he added, "He is a Battle Mage."

Harry's eyes widened. He'd read about mages*; witches and wizards who'd had an affinity with a specific area of magic and mastered it – so much so that no spell or wand was required to focus their magic; it simply responded to their will!

But mages were a product of a bygone era. Blackwolf was right when he said that the introduction of wands limited magic. They were great for teaching a standard of control, but without the intense internal study of one's magical core, mages were now very rare. Harry knew that a handful of Healing and Elemental Mages could still be found in the world – there was a teenage Water Mage in the tribe – but other such distinctions of mages were considered so dangerous that if any were alive, they hid themselves for their own safety.

Storm Mages and Battle Mages were the two rarest, with a Storm Mage surprisingly being thought the most dangerous. The problem was that they could accidently cause a natural disaster with the power to kill thousands if they lost control for just a few minutes. For this reason, of the twenty-six _recorded_ Storm Mages in history, only four had survived to adulthood.

Battle Mages were something else though. The level of skill required to be labeled a Battle Mage was beyond what most people were capable of since they needed a thorough understanding of multiple fields of magic. One of the most famous Battle Mages in history was Godric Gryffindor. Before the formation of the Ministry of Magic, Gryffindor had been called upon to defeat warlords all over western Europe, not just the British Isles. Then there was the famous Battle Mage couple of China, Yin Yu and his wife, Yin Ji, that contributed to the start of the Ming Dynasty* and traveled throughout the rural villages to keep order. They had even been mastered some of the elemental magics!

The fact that Blackwolf just told Harry he could meet a Battle Mage was astounding. To be told that he could be _taught_ by a Battle Mage was _insane!_

"Yes please," Harry choked out with a giddy smile.

...

*I wanted to keep Elle in the story somehow. It's never mentioned what she did after leaving the BAU, but I feel like being a PI is plausible for canon, especially with Harry bankrolling it, which he can because HE RICH.

*Season 1 Episode 8. Watch it and I dare you to tell me that Hotch doesn't basically tell Perrotta that his father was physically abusive.

*This is where I feel I diverge the most from canon funnily enough. "Mage" is never a term used in the Harry Potter universe, but...so is a thorough understanding of Magical History and Worldwide culture. I'm taking artistic liberties to expand this world. Sue me. (Please don't. I'm poor.)

*The Ming Dynasty lasted from 1368 to 1644 and known best for doubling doubling China's population, trade expansion, and cultural achievements such as drama and literature.

...

Please review! I need some constructive criticism.


	9. Life, Magic, Murder, Oh My!

Sorry for the wait again! I had to watch the episodes again and hammer out some of the finer plot points while writing this chapter, but it's a long one so hopefully worth the wait. Read the end notes if you're confused about the timeline for this chapter.

...

Life, Magic, Murder, Oh My!

...

Emily finally met Sirius and Remus during their annual Christmas Party. Sirius hosted that year, and, upon seeing her in the foyer, immediately wolf-whistled.

She responded blandly with, "I guess that's not a wand in your pocket and you are just happy to see me."

The face Sirius made like he was sucking a lemon made everyone crack up, even as they were filled with questions.

"What?" Emily asked as they all congregated in the living room. "You think I didn't know?"

Harry threw both arms up triumphantly as he realized what the commotion was about. "I knew it! Pay up!" He turned to Morgan and Reid who both groaned and handed over twenties.

Emily, like Rossi, had learned of the magical world because of her family's diplomatic duties long ago.

The conversation shifted to more mundane topics through dinner all the way until the presents were exchanged.

Harry unwrapped his gift from Elle only to stare in confusion.

"Um. What?" He looked at the top book in the stack with his face screwed up in a mix of confusion and horror.

Elle smirked at him. "Oh yeah. Did you know there's book series based on you?"

Hotch snapped to attention. "What?"

Elle reclined back with her glass of wine, lips curving in a smirk. "Turns out some enterprising wizard decided to cash in on Harry's name and started publishing a children's adventure series about five years ago. I rarely find them published outside of the UK though, so it's not surprising you didn't know."

Hotch's eyes flared with his inner rage, making his voice far sharper when he snapped, "Do these people have no regard for publicity laws or are they really that ignorant?"

Needless to say, the enterprising wizard got a very bad late Christmas present in the form of a lawsuit that year. The books were taken off the shelves, but Hotch feared the damage had already been done in feeding Harry's fame.

"It's not like I actually did those things," Harry reasoned. "Surely people know that."

"I don't know Harry," Sirius interjected. "Wizards aren't exactly known for their common sense."

"Yeah," Remus agreed. "Just look at Sirius."

Uncle and nephew both smirked and waited for Sirius to say something back. Instead, he shrugged. "I'm not denying it."

…

Harry passed his History of Magic OWLs with flying colors.

"Are you going to focus on other subjects now?" Sirius asked him.

Harry gave him a look that clearly said he thought that was crazy.

"Are you going to stop flirting with Aunt Emily?"

"Hey, I'm your uncle. She's your aunt. It only makes sense that we end up together."

"With that kind of logic, I sometimes wonder which of us is the child. I will admit that it is funny to watch you try to impress her and fail miserably, so you have my permission to keep doing it."

"I have such a wonderful godson."

…

Emily stared at the basket in confusion. "What is this?"

Garcia looked up from her own basket with a grin. "Care package from Harry."

"Care package," Emily muttered. "Wait, is this Motrin?"

"Yeah. I guess he figured out that you synced with us."

Emily looked up in horror. "He knows I'm on my period?!"

JJ put her hand on her shoulder. "Emily, relax. When Elle was here, she talked to Harry about 'woman stuff'," she said with a laugh. "Now he gives us a care package every month."

"Mm," Garcia hummed. "And he does it in a way that's not demeaning. Read the card. This is your first one, so it's the only time you'll get one."

Emily picked it up and read aloud, "Sorry Mother Nature sucks. Here's some stuff I hope helps you through it. Let me know if you need anything or have any preferences. Women are crazy strong. P.S. If you don't want me to do anything in the future, let me know and I'll stop. Auntie Elle taught me to respect boundaries. Sorry if I crossed them."

Emily's jaw dropped with a large smile. She held up the card and exclaimed, "Can we get Elle to hold a seminar for men? Seriously, I've never had boyfriend as considerate as my nephew…and now that I've said it, that's really sad."

Garcia sighed. "Tell me about it. Personally, I'm just thankful for the chocolate. Harry buys the good stuff."

…

Harry tapped his fingers as he considered his uncle/big brother figure. Something was wrong. Spencer hadn't suggested one experiment this past week. Usually he hounds him or Remus with ideas about magic until they give in to testing them. Harry's always fascinated with the results, but can't always contribute. Still, he likes hearing Spencer's rambling ideas, but he's barely spoken to them outside of the BAU.

It all started after he was kidnapped by that religious murderer with two personalities.

Maybe he just needed some time? It must have been scary. Harry can understand that. Yeah, he decided. He'd just give Spencer some time to work things out.

…

Harry let his head fall onto the Chinese (Traditional) to English dictionary with an audible _thunk_.

"How many languages can you speak now?" Haley asked her son as she added ingredients to the potion she was brewing in the kitchen.

Harry turned his head to look at her with one eye. Blackwolf had assigned him the homework in preparation for being taught by his cousin.

"Three, a half, and a fifth."

Haley raised a brow. "What?"

"I'm fluent in English, Spanish, and French, but can only speak broken phrases in Italian. Then I've gotten through about a third of the Traditional Chinese alphabet."

"Why not Simplified Chinese?"

"Ancient magical texts are written in the traditional style. It's the pronunciation that's killing me. My mouth just doesn't want to move that way!" Harry whined miserably. "Chinese is so hard!"

"You know they actually say that English is one of the hardest languages to learn."

Harry just glared while his mother smirked.

"Come over here and help me brew. You deserve a break."

"You've gotten really good at brewing," Harry commented as he did as she told.

Haley shrugged lightly. "I'm not teaching anymore, so I have more time to practice. Too bad I'll never be a potions mistress."

Harry looked at her aghast. "Why not?"

Haley smiled, not at all upset. "Because there are a couple of advanced potions that actually require the use of a wand. Not many, but enough that I'll never qualify as a master."

Harry frowned. "Well, that's stupid. You're the best at potions, even Uncle Moony says so."

"I can still brew for myself just because I enjoy it," Haley said wisely. "Sometimes, that's all the validation you need."

…

Harry finally met Blackwolf's cousin in late March just before the spring equinox. His name was James Redwolf. Apparently, last names in their tribe can be changed to reflect a person's animagus form or spirit animal. Blackwolf kept his surname from his father and grandfather, but Jane was actually a bear. In the same vein, Redwolf was in fact a wolf with a reddish coat.

He also refused to teach Harry.

"I'm not saying I won't teach you," Redwolf corrected. "I'm just saying I won't teach you _yet_. You're too young. Your body can't handle it and you haven't studied the underlying theories and philosophy behind the practical applications."

"But if I do that, then you'll teach me?"

Redwolf stroked his chin. "Are you familiar with the formal Master-Apprentice practice?"

"Yes."

"Then if you'd like, when you turn eleven, I'll make you my apprentice."

Harry gasped in delight before his expression fell. "I'm supposed to go to Hogwarts when I'm eleven."

"Then you have a choice to make."

…

"Come on, say it," Harry cheered. "Say 'Harry'."

Jack looked back at him with a smile.

"Come on Jack. It's not hard. Har-ry," he coached. A giggle was all he got back in response. "Jack, bro, you have to work with me here. We're _brothers_. We're supposed to stick together. You've already betrayed me by saying 'Mama' first. Now say 'Harry'. I'll even take 'Hawwy' if you can't pronounce the 'r' sound. It'll still count! _Harry_."

Jack just laughed at him.

"I feel like you're mocking me." Harry sighed. "At least promise you're not going to say 'Padfoot' or 'Sirius' first. I know he's been egging you on."

Jack held out the large wooden block he'd been fingering. Harry took it and placed it on the haphazard tower in front of them.

"Are you going to say 'Harry' now?"

"Edobodu."

Harry sighed. "That's okay, Jackie. Take your time. I know I'm your favorite either way."

…

Haley glanced over her shoulder when she heard footsteps walking into the kitchen. Harry came to a stop and looked at her with wide eyes, his lips pressed tightly together.

"Harry? I thought you were going to spend the day with Sirius?"

Harry replied in a monotone. "I was."

Haley waited for him to elaborate. "You've been gone five minutes."

Harry just kept staring at her blankly. "Do we have any mind bleach?"

Haley blinked and opened her mouth to ask why he needed it before an inkling of what may have happened came to mind. "Um," she said slowly. "There's Forgetfulness Potion in the cabinet."

Harry nodded seriously. "That'll work." He started to walk to the cabinet before he stopped. "Wait." He grabbed up a notepad and pen and started writing.

Watching with confusion, Haley couldn't help but ask what he was doing.

"Writing notes on what happened before I forget."

"Why would you remind yourself of something you want to forget?"

"Just because I don't want these images in my head doesn't mean I want to give up Grade A blackmail material!"

Haley's face fell into one of resignation. "You've been spending too much time with Penelope."

…

Harry narrowed his eyes on Emily.

She narrowed her eyes back.

They were alone in the briefing room.

Finally, Emily folded her hands on the table and spoke. "What's it going to take to keep your silence?"

Harry copied her pose.

"One: I want you to teach me Russian."

"Done."

"Two: I want you to influence Sirius into getting me a wand for my next birthday."

"Done. He was planning on doing it anyway."

"And three: I never want to walk in on you and Sirius ever again."

"I still say it was your own fault."

"My notes say I knocked. Twice. Next time hang a tie on the door or something."

"Fine. Anything else?"

"On second thought, yeah. Buy a new couch for his living room. No way I'm sitting on that thing ever again. It needs to be burned. How did you two even happen?"

Emily shrugged. "I have needs and he was offering. Don't make it too complicated."

"Oh, I'm not the one who's going to make it complicated."

Emily tilted her head in a silent question.

Harry sighed. "Just…don't hurt him. He talks a lot, but I can tell he really likes you."

"Oh," Emily muttered as she bit her lip.

…

Sirius did not just present Harry with a wand on his tenth birthday. He took Harry to Shikoba Wolfe, one of the most premier wandmakers in America as well as a Native American. She was almost a hundred years old and left most of the wand-crafting to her children and grandchildren now, but she agreed to make Harry his own custom wand as a favor to Blackwolf. After all, his tribe took care of the flock of thunderbirds on their reservation that supplied most of the feathers she used in her wands.

While Harry matched with a tail feather from a powerful male thunderbird, the wand wood was harder to choose from.

"No, no," Shikoba muttered to herself. "Not alder, not willow, dogwood, or spruce. _Definitely_ not black walnut. Perhaps ash? Apple? Hmm, and cedar, rowan, red oak, and redwood. Pine! Yes, maybe pine." She glanced back at Harry, eyes running up and down his frame. "Or perhaps elm. Holly, aspen, and acacia. Yes, those are good choices.*"

She set eleven blocks of wood in front of Harry and had him close his eyes while lightly running his fingers over each block. Harry was to choose the one he felt most drawn to.

In the end, he was stuck in a three-way tie. Shikoba then put the thunderbird feather underneath a block and told him to feel again. In this way, the holly wood was discarded.

"With another core," she said, "perhaps you could wield a holly wand."

The other two woods were acacia and rowan.

"Don't bother choosing between them." Shikoba stopped Harry's waffling. "It's always good to have a spare. I believe the thunderbird would go best with the rowan wood. Feel," she commanded as she placed the feather under the rowan and acacia blocks to compare. Harry had to agree with her. She turned to a locked cupboard and took out four differently sized and colored feathers. Harry was surprised they weren't from a thunderbird, as that was supposedly the only core Shikoba used.

"Feel."

Harry closed his eyes and ran his hand over the feathers. He felt a tingling sensation, like electricity when passing over two of them. One was a stormy grey and another a brilliant purple. Shikoba placed the grey one under the acacia. "Feel." Harry felt the connection lessen. Then Shikoba placed the purple feather.

Harry could feel a thrumming under his fingers. His magic that he had been learning to sense flow through him hummed pleasantly. Shikoba noticed his expression and nodded. "Occamy feather." She narrowed her dark eyes as Harry met her gaze.

"You're the only one to choose one of my occamy's feathers in nearly a dozen years of having her."

Harry's face remained impassive.

"Come," Shikoba ordered. She led Harry and Sirius out of her workshop and past several buildings to a large shed. The inside had skylights in the ceiling and a large fiberglass cage with partitions inside to make various sized spaces within.

As soon as the turquoise-colored occamy saw them, she started shrieking, but Harry didn't just hear the hybrid call of a snake hiss and bird caw; he heard words.

"_Go away. Go away! Leave me alone!"_

Harry didn't forget that he could speak to snakes, he just hadn't done it in a while. He also didn't expect parseltongue to work with an occamy. He'd always thought they were more avian than serpentine.

"_Leave me alone!" _the occamy shouted in a sad tone as she curled up and flapped her feathers warningly.

Harry didn't think as he just whispered, _"Sorry."_

As the occamy fell silent, Harry realized his voice had come out in a hiss.

Sirius coughed awkwardly. "Well, that was unexpected."

The occamy uncurled herself and slithered closer to the wall to peer at Harry. He heard underneath her next words that the sound she made resembled more of a hiss than a caw this time.

"_Who are you?"_

Harry inhaled sharply. _"I'm Harry."_

"_You don't look very hairy, just that fluff on your head."_

"_I-no, "_ Harry stuttered, _"Harry is my name."_

"_What an odd name."_

"Harry," Sirius interjected. "What are you saying to snake-bird? …Or is it bird-snake?" he uttered.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"_Let me out."_ The demand brought Harry's attention back to the occamy. _"Let me out!" _she said with desperation. _"I want to go home."_

Harry's face dropped into sadness. He turned to Shikoba. "I don't suppose you can let her out for a while?"

Shikoba shook her head. "Occamies are a great threat to the Statute of Secrecy because of their choranaptyxic abilities and aggressive behavior. Even after all these years, she's still not warmed up to me. It's too dangerous to let her go. I got a special permit to keep her here when I wanted to experiment with different feathers for cores, but I have to keep her in the cage."

"She wants to go home."

"I got her from the government after they raided a poacher's house. I don't know where exactly she came from."

Harry turned and asked the question, _"Where are you from?"_

The occamy paused in thought. _"Home."_

Harry sighed. _"We don't know where that is though. We can't take you home if we don't know where home is. Most likely, its in India or one of the surrounding countries, but that's a large area a whole ocean away. _

The occamy let out a sigh. _"Fine. No going home, but I want out!"_ She ruffled her wings in agitation.

"_We can't let you out. It's too dangerous."_ He deliberately left out the part where she was the danger.

"Take her."

Harry started, having almost forgotten about Shikoba's and Sirius's presence.

"Familiars transcend the government's laws," Shikoba stated.

Harry frowned. "Are you suggesting what I think you are?"

"You can speak with her, and therefore have some measure of control over her. If she bonds as your familiar, the government can't take her away or limit her freedoms. It will be up to you to take responsibility for her and her actions," Shikoba informed. "Take her…If you can convince her." She waved her hand carelessly. "She's too old to breed and I've got more than enough feathers. Frankly, she's more trouble than she's worth to me. She frightens my great-grandchildren. Take her."

Harry blinked and looked back to the occamy that had been studying them as they talked.

"_What's your name?"_

"_It is-" _What followed was an indistinguishable hacking sound.

Harry stared blankly. _"I don't think that translates into something I can understand even with parseltongue."_

The occamy huffed indignantly. Harry spoke hesitantly. _"Is there another name I can call you?"_

She thought for a moment. _"I don't know what would be considered a good name in your mind."_

"_Well,"_ Harry smiled slightly, _"we can figure one out, if you like. Shikoba says she'll let you come with me, but only if you become my familiar. That way, you're protected."_

"_I don't need protecting!"_ she objected.

"_I meant from the government's laws. If you were let out, they'd just try to capture you and put back in a cage or ship you to some reserve,"_ Harry explained. _"If you come with me, I promise that as long as you keep yourself hidden from strangers and don't attack anyone, I won't put you in a cage or tell you what to do. I'll take care of you and let you outside anytime, as long as you promise to always return. We'll be friends."_

The occamy thought about it. _"You offer freedom, but is it freedom if I bind myself to you?"_

Harry blinked at how philosophical the creature had gotten. _"No, I guess it's not. But I'd hope that you would stay with me because you wanted to, not because you had to. You'd stay because you liked being with me."_

The occamy tilted her head to pierce him with one eye. _"I cannot smell you. I do not know if you're true, but you _look_ like a good one. Swear you'll never hurt me, and I'll do it."_

He paused. _"I swear I'll never hurt you unless in defense,"_ Harry compromised.

The skin near the occamy's lips tightened, and Harry got the impression she was smiling. _"Very well, young one. Then I shall never attack anyone unless in defense myself. This I swear."_

Harry swallowed and nodded. Shikoba unlocked the cage and the occamy unfurled her wings and flew swiftly out to land on Harry's shoulder. She drew in a deep breath and flicked her tongue onto Harry's cheek.

"_Hmm, yes,"_ she said thoughtfully_. "I've never had a human companion before, but I think you'll do. Now, about my name…" _

Harry spent the next two hours listing off names he thought she might like, most of them signifying either the bird or snake aspect of her body. In the case of "Quetzatcoatl*," it was both. As she liked the idea of that name, but not the name itself, Harry researched similar names of deities that could represent her full nature. Isis, Devi, and Danu were discarded, until they settled on Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of love, birth-death-rebirth, justice, and later war. She was also depicted as both a bird and a snake.

…

Hotch's eyes flicked from Harry to Sirius and back again. "How did you end up with," he struggled to find the right word, "a magical _pet_ when you went for a wand?"

Harry smiled and laughed weakly. "_So._ Funny story. This is Inanna. She's my familiar. Don't call her a pet or you'll insult her. Also, Shikoba said she'll have my wands ready in a week."

Hotch raised a brow. _"Wands?"_ he repeated, emphasizing the plural sound.

Haley shook her head. "Sirius-"

"I know," he said with a sigh. "I know. You're revoking my godfather-godson shopping privileges again…But I just got them back!" he whined.

"Last time you bought him a dozen stink and goo bombs among other magical prank items," Haley reminded him. "What did you expect?"

…

"Checkmate."

Spencer glanced at the board before taking Harry's knight with his rook.

"Nice try, but no."

Harry moaned with his head in his hand, frowning with refocused eyes for his next move. Spencer fought down his grin at Harry's frustration. These quiet moments were special to him. There was no murder, no magic, no thinking of anything beyond this room. More recently, Spencer added to the list: no shaking, no fear, no urge for release. _No drugs_. All he wanted was to sit and play chess with his...nephew? Brother? His...dare he say..._protégé?_ Like how he and Gideon played. Chess was their thing. Now Spencer got to take Gideon's role as Harry took his old one. It was like Star Wars, Spencer thought with a smile. _Always two._ _Master and Apprentice_.

Spencer snorted a laugh and Harry raised a brow in question as he pouted, thinking maybe Spencer was laughing at him. Spencer shook his head as a silent answer and Harry turned his attention back to the board.

Chess was his and Gideon's thing. Now it could be his and Harry's thing. Aside from their constant reading, everything else in their lives they had to share with other people. Gideon was the only other person who really played, and he didn't mind sharing. He was the one who encouraged Spencer to spend the time teaching Harry the game in the first place, only occasionally playing Harry himself.

"Checkmate," Harry said again. Spencer had to admit he'd gotten a lot better at chess, and if Harry wasn't playing either Gideon or himself, he tended to win.

Spencer moved his bishop to block and Harry huffed and pouted. Spencer gave into his grin.

…

Redwolf was confusing and frustrating. At the beginning of the summer, he said he'd start teaching Harry, but all he'd had him do for the first month was sit or stand for hours at a time and breathe. Then he had him hike through the desert and breathe. Then he made him float in a lake and breathe.

If Harry hadn't been practicing Martial Arts for nearly four years, he would have thrown a fit ages ago.

As it was, Harry understood. Sort of. He knew that there was a proper way to breathe in order to get the most power out of a punch or kick, so there must be a proper way to breathe to get the most out of one's magic. The meditation and exercises to really feel his magic could only help with that. It was nearing the end of summer and Redwolf applauded Harry's efforts.

"Next, you need to learn to dance."

Harry cringed. "Am I allowed to ask why?"

"Of course!" Redwolf laughed. "Magic flows through every inch of the body. To use it efficiently, your body has to move with just as much fluidity. You are already very precise and graceful with your movements due to your practice of martial arts, which will come in very handy later. For now, though, you must extend your knowledge into learning a softer, wider – sometimes unpredictable – range of movement. So, we must teach you to dance."

Harry sighed.

"It could be worse," Redwolf informed happily. "You could have to learn how to stand and fall next."

Harry's jaw dropped and Redwolf laughed. "Those are the other two of the three most basic lessons that are the foundation for my teaching: breathing, standing, and falling. If you fail at any one, you will not perform to your best ability. But you already learned how to stand with a firm stance and fall without hurting yourself, so dancing is next."

…

"I want to make this clear," Hotch spoke to Harry over a video chat. "You are coming out here to _track_. Nothing more. You will have one member of the unit with you at all times. You will not run off. You will not engage the unsubs. You lead us through the woods by tracking either the girl or the unsubs. That is all. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"And you agree to these terms?"

"Yes," Harry said with a firm nod.

A young woman had gone missing soon after it was discovered that a pair of serial killers were hunting humans in the Boise National Forest. Hotch and Gideon knew they only had a couple of days to find her alive. Under the circumstances, Hotch decided to bring in outside help. Unfortunately, Blackwolf was unavailable as he was busy controlling the Thunderbird hatchlings that were now old enough to start causing storms.

"Just take Harry," Blackwolf had told him in a no-nonsense voice over the phone. "I taught him how to track. He still needs practice, but he's not bad."

Hotch rubbed his hand over his forehead. "I can't just bring in my son."

"You're not," Blackwolf interrupted. "You're bringing in an experienced tracker who _happens _to be your son. I understand your conflicted feelings, but Harry's helped law enforcement before. You need to stop fighting this Hotchner," he added, voice low. "He's _your_ son. He's seen things. He's done things and had things done to him. You can't keep him from this path."

Hotch clenched his jaw. Trust Blackwolf to get to the root of the problem.

"Stop wasting time and get Harry's help. Maybe you'll be able to save who you're looking for." With that, Blackwolf hung up and Hotch called Haley to tell her the situation and get her opinion. It came as a surprise at how easily she agreed to let Harry go.

"It's not sexual, it's not super gory, and he's not going to be alone. He's going to help find an innocent girl. I can approve of that," she told him. "Besides, I can't tell him no. I'd be making him into something he's not." Haley blinked as her eyes lit in realization. She shook herself back to the matter at hand. "Just bring him home safe."

Haley made Harry pack several vials of blood replenishing potion and dittany to carry with him just in case.

…

"I can't track with no starting point," Harry told Morgan. He'd been driven out by a ranger to meet with Gideon, Emily, and Morgan. So, he was taken to where the most recent body was found. The trail was all but gone. Harry picked out some vantage points where he was sure the hunters had spent watching their victim, but otherwise, there was nothing to go on and they had to retire for the night.

Hotch and Reid had had more luck on their end in identifying two brothers as suspects, but they couldn't be found.

The next morning, the team was informed of two missing couples and headed to their campsite. They found it in tatters with pools of blood on the ground. Harry stood back and observed, eyes running all over before looking up and catching on color in the trees.

"Two pools of blood. I say two victims," Morgan said. "Could be the campers."

Emily shrugged. "Well th-"

"Emily move!" Harry demanded in a tight voice.

Emily immediately crouched down and took a couple steps away, eyes dancing around for the threat. "What? What is it?" She asked as she reached up to touch the top of her head where she'd felt something wet land just before Harry shouted.

He just pointed up. Two bodies, male and female, were strung upside down about forty feet in the air in the trees. Harry faintly wondered how the men had gotten them up so high.

"We need to go," Harry muttered as he set his jaw. "Now there're two more people being hunted in these woods." He started searching the ground. "We need to go."

He found three different footsteps leading away from the camp as the rangers got the bodies down from the trees. He didn't want to look any closer. Sure, he'd seen pictures of dead bodies before when his mom hadn't stopped him in time. He'd even seen that older decayed corpse almost two years ago, but fresh bodies...with flesh and blood...

It was just more...real. It made his breath catch in his throat and his eyes sting. He breathed back the bile rising in his throat. "The path leads this way," Harry exclaimed, avoiding the bodies.

Gideon walked over and put his hands on his shoulders. "Harry, listen to me. Preliminary examination puts Time of Death sometime late yesterday. We may not catch up in time."

Harry said nothing, just stared at Gideon in that stubborn way of his that all who knew him knew meant he would not be swayed.

"Morgan, Prentiss," Gideon ordered. "You two go with Harry."

They were the most in shape and could keep pace with the ten-year-old, who, despite his smaller gait, had great stamina and speed. One of the rangers objected to them going alone, but Gideon assured her that they would be fine as long as they kept their radio on.

With adrenaline coursing through him, Harry set a punishing pace. The trail was less than a day old and there had been few outside forces to cover the tracks, so it was easy enough for him to pick it up while jogging down the mountain. Emily and Morgan kept a couple paces behind him, eyes scanning ahead and ears pricked for the first hint of danger, trusting Harry to lead in the right direction.

For over an hour, no words were exchanged. Harry couldn't define exactly what he was feeling, just that he wanted to find these people alive more than he was sure he'd ever wanted anything.

The tracks eventually curved and led the group trekking uphill. Emily huffed behind them. "I think…I need…to get…more cardio."

They were all out of breath when the reached the top. Luckily, the fleeing party had kept a more even path after that, and after another hour, Harry came to a stop, crouching near a tree. Morgan and Emily took the time to check in with Gideon and update their position. They must have covered six or seven miles of the uneven terrain, and the sun was now high in the sky.

Harry stood up and looked around them. "They stopped here for the night," he said. He pointed to the indentations in the dirt and grass. "They huddled together for warmth. Took off a little after sunrise. Maybe only three or four hours ago."

Morgan shook his head. "They could be miles away then."

"No," Emily denied with a frown, still panting slightly. "They'd been running for hours yesterday. No food. No water. Little sleep. They'd be exhausted. They have to be close."

"That just means they're easy pray for the Mulford brothers," Morgan worried.

"Come on!" Harry urged as he set off again with renewed energy. He followed the single-file tracks for two miles at a run when Morgan shouted his name. Harry slowed and glanced up from the ground to look behind him only to see Morgan sprint past him. Harry followed to see a body near the top of the hill, partially obscured by the tall grass. He and Emily ran up after Morgan, Emily drawing her gun and scanning around them.

Harry dropped to his knees by the man's side while Morgan checked for a pulse. His hand went to the pocket of his cargo pants and one of the potions his mom made him bring.

"He's still alive, but his pulse is weak," Morgan informed. "He's lost a lot of blood. The arrow actually helped plug the wound." He got on the radio and contacted Gideon, calling for a med evac at their location. It wouldn't be easy, but they'd be able to get a helicopter to airlift the guy out.

Harry carefully moved the man's head to pour the potion into his mouth. Morgan massaged the throat to get him to swallow. As long as the arrow didn't pierce a lung, the man - Luke apparently - might actually make it.

Emily holstered her gun. "What do we do?" she asked. "We can't leave him, but we need to find Bobby and Heather."

Morgan pursed his lips. He'd prefer Harry stay with Luke, but knew he was the only competent tracker. At the same time, he thought it too dangerous to have only one of them go with Harry if they were catching up to the hunters and their victims.

"They're circling," Harry said abruptly. "They've actually backtracked by following the flow of the mountain. See." He stood and pointed to the mountainside only a couple miles away. "That's where Gideon and the rangers are." Harry looked at the staggering trail that even Emily and Morgan could pick up. "It looks like they're heading for that ridge to the left of the campsite. That's where the mountain would take them if they want to keep to higher ground without rock-climbing." Harry looked over at them. "You go. I'll stay. The trail's no more than an hour old. You can follow it. Take these. Blood replenishing potion." He offered up two vials, leaving him with one more and the Essence of Dittany, a rare and expensive liquid.

Morgan and Emily nodded at each other. They told Gideon the plan and he agreed to take his group over that way as well.

"Stay," Morgan ordered Harry, taking the potions and leaving him the radio and GPS before running off. Harry stayed, tapping his foot rhythmically. He looked at the unconscious man drawing ragged breaths through cracked lips. He didn't dare touch the wound, as it could shift the arrow causing more damage, but Harry still couldn't leave him. Luckily, only fifteen minutes passed before Harry heard the sound of a helicopter. The red and white chopper came into view not long after and a two-man team dropped down with a backboard while the chopper hovered overhead. Harry watched to make sure they'd secured Luke before sprinting off after the others toward the smoke that had appeared in the last few minutes, ignoring the shouts of the rescuers behind him.

He was so grounded after this.

Then again, maybe his actions would be overlooked considering the scene he came upon. Morgan and Emily had clearly gotten to the campfire first and managed to surprise and unarm the two brothers, one of which was injured. The elder brother, Paul, was handcuffed as Emily applied pressured to the younger's wounds. Gideon had just appeared on the other side with Bobby Baird in tow, but Morgan was kneeling by Heather, an arrow sticking out of her stomach and surrounded by a pool of blood.

A ranger was on the other side, hands pressing a ragged cloth around the arrow shaft. Another ranger was barking orders into a radio for another medical chopper.

Harry hurried over to them. "Is she…"

Morgan forced a smile. "She's alive." He glanced down and Harry's eyes followed the movement to see an empty glass vial nearly hidden by Morgan's legs.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and felt his shoulders sag.

A shout by Paul Wulford made him tense again. "Don't let my brother die! You help my brother!" he shouted while he fought being pulled away by two rangers.

Harry hesitantly walked over to Emily, joined by Gideon.

"How bad is it?" He couldn't help but feel sorry for the young man. John Wulford had killed innocent people. He'd hunted them like animals, but now Harry saw he looked younger than even Spencer, and softer by far than Paul Wulford. When Harry looked into John's eyes, all he saw was pain and fear.

Emily glanced at him. "He needs medical attention. Now." Harry fingered the vial of dittany in his pocket. Just a few drops…

Harry hunched forward and tore off the bottom of his shirt. He was fully conscious of the people around him and couldn't let them see. Luckily, Emily and Gideon caught on to what he was doing and shifted to block him from view. They didn't worry about Johnny seeing as he had his head tilted back, watery eyes staring into the sky.

Pulling out the vial, Harry uncorked it and let a few drops fall onto the torn cloth. Emily then pulled up John's shirt, simultaneously using it to mop up as much blood from the wounds as she could. Harry dabbed the cloth over each stab wound. They didn't close as they would if the dittany was dropped onto the wound directly, but the bleeding visibly slowed to a near stop. It would be enough to heal him without raising questions. Emily pulled the shirt back over the skin and again pressed down.

Harry just hoped no one else would die today. There'd been enough of that.

…

"You're my first," he said to Bobby as they rode back into town in the back of an SUV. The blond turned from the window to look at him in a silent question. "You're the first person I've saved. Well, actually, I think you might be my third, depending on how you see it," Harry elaborated. "We went in looking for you, but ended up saving Heather and Luke, too."

Bobby blinked. "Oh."

"That was smart of you by the way," Harry complimented. "Coming up with that plan to turn the tables and make the predator the prey. If we hadn't come along, it would have been your best chance to survive."

Bobby swallowed. "Thanks. I'm just glad it's over."

Harry touched her hand lightly and she flinched. She looked at him as he gazed at her with far too solemn eyes. "Bobby, it's not over, and it won't be for a long time. You should accept that now."

She felt a shiver go up her spine. Harry's face softened and he gave her a small smile. "That's okay though. All the best people have something bad happen to them. Rising above it is what makes them so good. You'll be okay eventually."

And Bobby couldn't help but feel comforted by those words.

…

Haley hugged her son tightly. "Are you okay?"

Harry beamed at her. "I'm great. You helped save three lives by the way."

"I did?"

"Yep!" Harry chirped. "I got to see them before we left. Bobby even let me take a picture with her. Now I can start my own murder book."

Haley blanched and Harry backtracked. "I mean - like Uncle Gideon - with his book - and his pictures of all the people he saved," he tried to explain. Haley relaxed as she understood what Harry meant.

"That's nice, but I think we need to make an appointment for you to see Dr. Oxland."

Harry grimaced. "Okay, but I don't regret it."

Haley smiled. Jack came running in at that moment. "Hawwy!"

Harry's entire being brightened and he ran off with Jack, tickling him and chasing each other around in turn.

Things were okay.

...

*I looked up the various characteristics of the wand woods and selected those I believe would match with Harry. I'd go into detail about all of the woods, but all you really need to know is:

Rowan wands are very protective and create strong defensive magic. There's evidence no dark wizard can wield a rowan wand. Good for dueling, rowan wands match with clear-headed and pure-hearted individuals. Paired with a thunderbird feather, it would cast very fast defensive magic due to the Thunderbird's innate sense of danger.

Acacia wands are very picky and only perform for their owners and only then if they're very gifted, making them rare. While they are very powerful wands, they are subtle about the magic they perform. Paired with an occamy feather, the underrated magic it performs would only become more malleable, able to shift easily between spells and power just as an occamy shifts size with just as much precision as the situation calls.

*Quetzalcoatl was the Feather-Serpent deity of Mesoamerica (Aztecs and Mayans).

*If any of you are confused about the timeline: Open Season (the episode referenced in this chapter) takes place near the end of season 2, and if you're going by broadcast date, it would be in the spring before Harry turned ten. BUT hunting season starts in late August/early September, AND season 3 of Criminal Minds picks up directly following the last episode of season 2. SO it makes sense that the second half of season 2 is stretched out over the spring and summer with season 3 starting in the fall.

We're getting so close to the fun parts. This is like, the first arc of the story, and we're so close to the end! Then I get to start writing about...other stuff...;)

Please review!


	10. Decisions

Sorry for the long wait. This chapter gave me a really hard time, and I'm not completely happy with it to be honest. Still, I hope you enjoy it.

...

Decisions

...

Things were not okay.

Things were falling apart, and Harry felt helpless to stop them.

He'd watched as his family rushed to Gideon's aid to stop Frank, but couldn't do anything himself. He'd tried. Oh, how he had tried. It was the first time he'd ever yelled at his mom and dad in anger. The palpable fear and urgency had gotten to him and he'd lashed out, insisting he help, but all it had gotten him was a grounding.

Harry couldn't help but think that if he'd been allowed to help, Rebecca Bryant would still be alive. He could have gotten to her in time.

Maybe, if she'd lived, Gideon would have been thinking just a little bit clearer on the next case. Maybe he would have made a different call when finding the college campus spree killer, and two other girls and a suspect wouldn't have died.

Maybe, if they hadn't died, Gideon wouldn't have gone missing, and his dad wouldn't have been suspended for two weeks with the advice to transfer to a different department.

And maybe, if all that hadn't happened, his mom and dad wouldn't be fighting now.

Or maybe they would, regardless of the circumstances.

Harry hadn't realized it before. He'd never considered himself blind, but looking back, he saw that his mom had been growing less patient with his dad for months. Whenever Harry spent time with his parents, it was almost always separate, and Harry was finally aware of just what that distance had done. Haley hated how much Aaron traveled. She hated how he brought his work home with him. She hated how much he encouraged Harry to follow in his footsteps. She hated how much she felt like a single mom, no matter how much help Harry, Sirius, and Remus were around to help.

She hated her husband's job, but being a profiler was so much of what Aaron was, it was almost as though she hated _him_.

Having his dad home more the last two weeks had been great, but even Harry had an itch to go back to the BAU, and he didn't even work there. He fully understood why his dad didn't want to change jobs, even if he did have to deal with _Chief_ _Strauss_ as his superior. Frankly, Harry couldn't believe she was allowed to get away with this. Their unit had a special relationship with the MACUSA. Wouldn't she have needed their approval or permission to transfer one of their assets?

_Apparently not_, Harry grumbled to himself as he listened to his mom tell his dad to take the transfer. It was also then he realized that his mom was in phone contact with someone who didn't want to talk to his dad. Luckily, when Harry checked the call history, it was just his Aunt Jessica.

A couple hours later, Aaron came to talk to Harry in his room, pausing in the doorway. Neither pretended ignorance of the situation. All it took was a look to know they were on the same page.

"I'm going to meet up with the team in Milwaukee," Hotch said.

Harry didn't even blink. "I know. I'm glad you're going. They need you."

Hotch opened his mouth to speak, but paused. "Do _you_ need me?"

Harry smiled. "I'll always need you, and so does mom. I think that's why she's angry."

Hotch breathed evenly. "She wants me to choose her and our family over my job." He met Harry's eyes. "The thing is, I _want_ to choose you all. I want to be able to walk away, but I…" Hotch frowned sadly. "I can't…" his mouth moved silently, trying and failing to put into words exactly what he was feeling.

"I know," Harry said. "I know you can't stop. It's…a compulsion." He looked down at the cell phone he was toying with. "I feel it, too."

Hotch sighed and leaned against the door frame. "Sometimes I wish your mother understood that easily, and then I'm so glad she doesn't." He straightened up. "Harry, I want you to know that if it ever came down to choosing you-"

"Don't," Harry stopped him. "Don't ever compromise for me. Just don't," he urged. "You were the one who saw me that day. You were the one who saved me. You couldn't have done that if you weren't with the BAU." Harry fidgeted. "Mom will understand."

His dad didn't call him out on his lie.

When Haley told him to pack a bag with a few changes of clothes in it after Aaron had left, Harry felt a chill run down his neck.

"Why?" he asked.

"We're going to stay with my sister for a few days."

"Why?"

"Because we are," Haley answered shortly. "Now pack your things."

Harry stared at her. "No."

Haley closed her eyes and sighed. "Harry, don't argue with me."

"You're leaving. You're leaving dad."

"No, he left _us_!"

"But he's coming back! He always comes back!"

Haley grit her teeth and blinked back her tears. She stated in a forced calm voice, "We are going to stay with your Aunt Jessica for a few days."

"No," Harry declared as he stood. "You're mad at dad and just want to hurt him by leaving. You think you can turn the tables and make him feel what you feel, but you can't even do it to his face. You have to sneak out while he's gone."

Haley stepped forward with a hand pointing at Harry threateningly. "Don't you dare speak to me that way!" she snapped.

Harry stepped back in shock as Haley yelled at him.

This…was not the mom he knew. She'd rarely yelled at him before, and never like this; standing over him with anger blazing in her eyes. All the sudden, she disappeared and in her place was Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.

The breath caught in Harry's throat, and he quickly realized that he was on the verge of a panic attack. Haley must have seen it too, as her eyes widened in shock and she put her hands up, lowering herself to sit on her knees before him.

Harry dropped to the floor and curled up in a ball, muttering to himself. It had been years since his last attack, but he knew how to bring himself down.

Inanna, who had become increasingly protective of Harry, flew into the room, perhaps drawn by the commotion. She curled around him and hissed at Haley, even as the occamy knew the woman wouldn't hurt her young. All the while, Haley sat next to them, the tears overflowing and running down her face silently.

At last, Harry picked himself up and swallowed. _"It's okay, Inanna,"_ he soothed his familiar, and she nuzzled his face with her beak in comfort before flying onto a shelf to keep watch.

Harry turned to his mom. "Sorry," he croaked.

"No," Haley cried. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I shouldn't have-" A gasp cut off the rest of her sentence and she hid her face in her hands. "You had a panic attack because of me."

Harry crawled into Haley's lap and hugged her as she fought to control herself, clutching him back.

"It wasn't your fault." Harry couldn't tell her she reminded him of the Dursleys. Besides, it really _wasn't_ Haley's fault. Any parent would have been angry at what he said. Harry just didn't like yelling when it was done by someone he cared about. If a stranger yelled at him, it was just _different_; he didn't feel the need to run away. "I shouldn't have said what I did."

Haley breathed in enough control to talk. "It's not true you know. I _don't_ want to hurt your father. I just… can't keep pretending that everything is okay when it's not." She swallowed. "He's just not _here _anymore."

Those words lingered in the silence that followed before Harry broke it. "Mom?" he asked nervously as he pulled back slightly to look at her. "If you hate dad's job so much, why did you let me go to Idaho to help find Bobby Baird?"

Haley didn't meet his eyes.

"Were you…were you hoping I'd fail?" he asked in a small voice.

"No," Haley denied too quickly. "No, I…I didn't want you to fail, not exactly. I just…" she searched for the words. "I knew I had to let you go sooner or later, and I guess...I just hoped that you wouldn't make a difference; that they'd find her without you, and then you'd see that you didn't need to do…_this_. You didn't need to be like your dad. You could do something else."

Harry frowned. "I know I don't _need _to be a profiler or an investigator. I _want_ to, and I'm really good at it."

"But Harry-"

"No," Harry argued, in a soft yet firm tone. "Stop. You don't understand!"

"Then help me understand."

Harry didn't say anything for a moment. "I heard what you said to dad before he left. You were wrong too. Dad doesn't do what he does to be a hero. He does it because he has to, but not because it's his job. It's because he _feels_ he has to; like I feel I have to."

Haley frowned in confusion.

Harry chewed his lip. "I'm not sure I can explain. It's like…the people we go after – they came from the same place we did. A lot of them were abused as kids, and that experience changed them. It gave them a compulsion, just like it gave me and dad a compulsion. Only, they feel the need to get their rage and pain out by making other people hurt, and we get ours out by making sure they don't. Does that make sense?"

Haley looked away in deep thought.

"It's like," Harry spoke his thoughts slowly, "the more people we save, the less our pasts haunt us. Like…maybe it was worth it somehow? Like…we can heal and move on, but only if we keep someone else from feeling that pain." Harry's face screwed up in thought as he tried to explain the need he and his dad felt.

Haley cleared her throat. "Your father always says that the people he goes after don't stop unless someone stops them."

Harry nodded. "Yes?" he said as more of a question.

Haley blinked and directed her watery eyes skyward. "What you're saying is that," she swallowed, "he's never going to stop fighting them, even if I beg. Maybe he'd stop for a while, but in the end, he would never be able to stay away."

Harry looked down. "No, I don't think he could. He'd go crazy from it; from guilt and self-loathing. Mom, you've known him since you were teenagers. Has he ever been any different than what he is now? Has he ever backed down from a bully? Has he ever been less determined? Has he ever been less self-sacrificing?"

Haley sighed, and Harry pressed on. "That's what he's doing now. He said he wants to choose us, but he's sacrificing his own happiness to make the world a better place. In a way, he _is _choosing us, even if it means he's not _with _us."

Haley sighed again and hugged him tightly before letting go.

"Okay," she muttered. "I…I need to think."

Harry tried to toe the line of giving his mom space for the rest of the day while still keeping her in view. He discarded his afternoon lessons and training in favor of playing with Jack, running around playing tag and hide-n-seek in the backyard. Playtime was arguably more enjoyable for Harry than Jack. It was one of the few times he truly felt like a kid, and making his brother happy was one of the jobs of an older brother, one he did his best to fulfill.

By the time dinner rolled around, Haley seemed to have made a decision.

"I'm going to stay with your Aunt Jessica for a few days." At Harry's wide-eyed look, Haley elaborated. "Just me. I've already spoken to Sirius and Remus. They're going to watch you two while your dad's at work."

Jack agreed easily to this and went back to his dinner, but Harry remained silent. Sometimes, he wished he could be like Jack, young and oblivious to the turmoil around him.

It was late at night when Aaron got back, but Harry was still up. He eavesdropped while his mom explained the plan to his dad downstairs in the living room. She would be staying with Jessica for the foreseeable future, not just a few days. They, as a couple, weren't working anymore, and she needed some space. Jack and Harry would come spend a few days with her every week, but it wasn't fair for her to take them away from their father. Nor was it right for her to just leave without saying anything, something Harry had helped her realize. Haley also stated that she hoped Aaron would get some perspective if he had to be the only parent Harry and Jack could go to at times. Maybe he could balance his life out a little more. If he could, then maybe they could talk about saving their marriage, implying that she would ask for divorce if something didn't change.

"I was wrong to tell you to transfer," Haley admitted, surprising Harry and Aaron. "You were right that it's more than a job. It's your calling, and I should never have tried to force you to choose between it and your family. I'm trying to accept that, I'm trying to be supportive, but it is really hard." She breathed heavily. "I realize now that the job isn't the problem, Aaron. The problem is that it's consumed your life. I know you want to keep people safe, but what about you? What about your life? What about ours? There needs to be a balance, Aaron."

Harry strained his ears in the silence that followed, but couldn't make out the words his parents spoke next, just the sound of the front door opening and closing a moment later, followed by his father's footsteps on the stairs.

…

Gideon left. He wrote a note to Spencer explaining himself, but didn't say goodbye to anyone else. Haley kept her word and stayed with Jessica, picking Harry and Jack up from either Aaron or Sirius and Remus every few days.

The two marauders were a godsend to the parents, eagerly watching the two boys whenever needed. Vanguard Technomancy Incorporated was making good money, so they hired several young wizards to man the store while they put together the tech from home. What Haley and Aaron appreciated most about the wizards though, was that neither judged the couple for their actions nor did they take sides.

"It's complicated." Remus shrugged when Haley asked. "We understand that we simply can't understand, so should stay out of it. We're here for you when you need us."

Harry did not take that view of it and kept going back and forth between his parents, trying to talk to each of them to see each other's perspective. He got more than a couple punishments from doing so, until finally he gave up and sulked by himself. After the fourth day Harry had locked himself in his room with only Inanna for company as he worked on new tech and zoomed through dozens of books, all the adults agreed that something had to be done.

Sirius was, surprisingly, the one to owl Dumbledore. Why he thought the old man could get through to Harry, he couldn't say exactly. It'd taken ages for Sirius to forgive Albus, and he still didn't fully trust him. Yet, Dumbledore had a lot of life experience, and Sirius had a hunch that he could actually spare a bit of wisdom in this case.

Dumbledore was due for another round of testing the BAU's occlumency shields anyway, so arrived a few days later. After making the rounds and finding everyone's shields near impenetrable, he just sat across from Harry in his room, studying the space.

Sirius had enchanted the room to be larger than before, and the shelves covering an entire wall were packed with books and gadgets. The desktop held a mix of magical and nonmagical items, with a supply cabinet next to it. Despite the sheer number of items in the room, it was all clean and orderly with a few areas left clear for Inanna to perch.

Albus turned back to look at Harry's blank face.

"I was told you've been very angry lately," Albus stated.

Harry remained silent for a moment before he realized that Albus Dumbledore was not his family. He wasn't his parent or godparent. He wasn't an aunt or an uncle. He wasn't even really a friend. And for some reason, that made him safe, even though the opposite should've been true.

"They left!" Harry exploded as he stood from his bed and paced. "They just _left_! Gideon left. After everything! How could he just leave? He left the BAU – okay. I get it. But how could he leave _us?_ We're his family. He's my uncle – he was my _first _uncle. And then my mom left! Yeah, she's still around, but – she just – she…" Harry growled and clenched his fists. "They _left!"_

"My father was sent to Azkaban when I was a child," Albus stated, and it stumped Harry enough to stop him in his tracks. "I know you must be judging everyone harshly right now, but please, just listen."

Harry listened. He listened to the whole sordid tale of the Dumbledores, of which few people were aware of and even fewer knew the truth. He listened to how Ariana had been attacked, the PTSD that resulted, and their father's revenge that landed him in prison. He listened to how Ariana and her magic became unstable and accidently killed their mother, leaving Albus in charge of his two siblings just after he'd finished school. Harry listened as Dumbledore talked about the Hallows and Grindelwald and his sister's death. He listened as Dumbledore lamented the fact that his brother never had forgiven him for what happened.

Harry listened as Dumbledore admitted that at one point, _he_ had been the one to leave his family, or at least that he had wanted to, but didn't because he put his family's needs above his own. Harry listened as Dumbledore told him that that was a mistake. Sometimes, the people they loved needed to leave because they didn't know any other way to escape the pain and move on with their lives. Their leaving was not a reflection of their love, but simply a result of how empty they were inside. Sometimes, people left because they simply couldn't stand to stay.

"I thought," Albus said, "that I was being selfless by staying. I thought I was doing the right thing, but all I did was grow bitter towards my sister and my responsibilities that trapped me in a place I hated. If I had listened to my brother and trusted him; given him what he wanted – to look after Ariana himself – then maybe it never would have happened. I would have left immediately after graduating Hogwarts and never even met Gellert. Maybe it all would have turned out differently," he finished softly. "The point is that sometimes people need to be selfish if they can't commit fully to being selfless. If their actions are half-hearted and grudging, they would likely breed only resentment and pain," Dumbledore explained. "If your mother stayed, she would be hurting, and she would spread that pain to you and your brother. She would lash out. The same with Gideon. If they had stayed, it would only strengthen their desire to leave, and this time when they left, any good feelings would be soured beyond repair."

And finally, Harry started to understand. It hurt. Understanding definitely didn't make the pain he felt hurt any less, but it did lessen the anger.

"So, it's good they were selfish and left?" Harry challenged skeptically.

"In this case, yes. You should never force someone to be in a position where you know they would be unhappy. Nothing good will come of it," Dumbledore said. "That's a lesson I wish I had learned years ago." His blue eyes drooped in sadness as he gazed steadily at Harry. "I'm sorry that it took so much self-reflection to realize."

In that moment, Harry knew that Dumbledore spoke the truth, and that he knew he was wrong in meddling with Harry's and other's lives. More so, Harry knew that Dumbledore was more than just sorry. He knew Dumbledore would never do it again.

"I don't want to go to Hogwarts," Harry blurted.

Dumbledore just nodded. "I suspected as much. I do wish you would attend. I would love having you as a student, and Hogwarts would only benefit from your presence, but I understand that you would not be happy there. You are far more advanced than your age group, but more importantly, your life is here."

That was the moment Dumbledore passed the test. That was the moment he earned Harry's respect and was allowed into his family.

…

David Rossi came out of retirement to join the BAU. He knew about magic and already had a relationship with the MACUSA, so any magical cases they worked wouldn't be a problem. However, he had a bit of a learning curve. It'd been ten years since he worked for the FBI, and while he had attended a few parties with the team members the last few years, he didn't really socialize with the any of them. Still, he got into the swing of things eventually.

"Glad you came back, Uncle Rossi," Harry told him one day as he studied an old case file. "I can pick your brain now that you're around more. Spencer and I have some questions."

The young profiler looked up at hearing his name and smiled brightly.

Rossi hid his horror well and just asked, "Uncle?"

Emily didn't break her stride as she walked past to the break room. "Don't fight it. It means welcome to the family."

Morgan snorted from his chair. "Yay," he said sarcastically. "You're officially one of us."

…

Christmas that year was complicated. There were mixed feelings all around and pangs of sadness at the missing face of Gideon. Still, disagreements were set aside and the holiday was enjoyed by everyone as well as they could, especially as there were four new faces joining them. One was Albus Dumbledore. It was the first time he had been invited to spend the holiday with them. The other three were people Harry had been anticipating meeting for years.

Sirius had long ago sorted out the Black affairs, throwing Bellatrix out of the family and bringing Andromeda back in. Her husband, Ted Tonks, and her daughter, Nymphadora, were also welcomed. Narcissa had been allowed to stay for now, as well as her son Draco. Their deciding moment hadn't come yet, but Sirius privately vowed that he would confront them eventually. Until everything about Lucius Malfoy came out, Sirius would remain neutral towards them.

He and Andy, on the other hand, had renewed communication years ago, mostly through owl post and the rare visit. There were two reasons for the lack of visitation. For one, they were all incredibly busy and it was hard to find the time, even with magical means of travel. Second, Sirius had to go to them, and he didn't like England all that much anymore. London held bad memories for him, and any time he ventured into wizarding areas, his infamy ensured that he was recognized immediately. As for why The Tonkses couldn't visit Sirius, both he and Andromeda had agreed to wait to tell Nymphadora everything about Sirius's current life, including where he lived, as it would invariably give away Harry's location and activities. It wasn't that they didn't trust Nymphadora, but she was still attending Hogwarts and sometimes things slipped out. She didn't even know Sirius was in contact with Harry until she was fifteen, and the information she was given was very little and still did not include Sirius's address.

However, Nymphadora had just graduated from Hogwarts the previous summer and immediately joined on with the Aurors. She was training directly under Mad-Eye Moody, and everyone agreed that she could finally be told everything. Christmas was the first decent break she had from training, so the family of three all came to visit.

They got on with the BAU immediately. Ted was a muggleborn and actually worked in nonmagical media as a newscaster* to help cover up magical events that were large enough to be noticed by nonmagicals. He and JJ had plenty to talk about in comparing their jobs, and Rossi joined in eagerly. Andromeda on the other hand, was pulled into conversation with Haley about her work as a healer. That left Nymphadora "Don't call me Nymphadora!" Tonks talking to most of the field agents, and they all told stories of their training and rookie days. They were all interested in Tonks's rare ability to change her appearance at will, and Harry was able to pull her into a prank utilizing it before dessert was served.

"I think we're going to be good friends," Harry stated happily as he laughed at the confused expressions of Sirius and Remus, the victims of the prank.

When it came time to exchange presents, Harry was surprised by Dumbledore's gift. Well, it was more of a return. It was an invisibility cloak that had belonged to his father.

"I'd wondered what happened to this!" Sirius exclaimed.

Dumbledore smiled. "I've been meaning to give it back for a while, but thought it best to wait until Harry was old enough to use it responsibly. I know that it should have been your decision, Haley, Aaron," Albus acknowledged, "but didn't want to make it awkward for you if you had to restrict Harry from using something from his birth parents."

It rubbed them a bit wrong, but they knew Albus was trying. If they were honest with themselves, they were glad Dumbledore had waited to give Harry the cloak. Lord knew what kind of trouble he could have gotten into all these years with that thing. Dumbledore also gave Harry a small notebook. Inside was a detailed account of the cloak and everything Dumbledore had discovered about it in the years he'd had it. Harry only flipped through it at first, but saw the word 'hallow' on a page and skimmed it, eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at him, and Harry grinned back. This would be kept between them.

Sirius and Remus got Harry a trunk - a magical trunk that had stairs leading down into an empty room that could be added to with the right spells and runes. Remus included several books with instructions and guidelines on expanding the space until it was a home away from home.

"You need it," Remus declared. "Your bedroom is too cluttered as it is, and even here you've taken over the library. You need a study of your own, and maybe a workshop where you can tinker without having to worry about blowing up your house."

Harry smiled guiltily. "One time! One time I made a computer explode and you never let me forget it!"

They could all tell Harry was excited about his new project though.

…

Haley did not come back home. She stayed with Jessica, but started visiting the Apache reserve with Harry until she got her own portkey. Then Haley spent almost every day there. She needed a life outside of her kids. Teaching no longer held interest for her now that she knew so much about magic, and she'd become an excellent brewer and wanted to create her own potions. It was good for her, and Harry saw that Dumbledore had been right that Haley needed to leave her situation in order for it to change.

Unfortunately, Aaron made few adjustments to his schedule. Though it was clear Haley missed him, she was not willing to go back to the same old arguments. After several months, she filed for divorce.

Aaron nearly signed. Harry stopped him.

"When have you ever given up?" he asked his dad. "Prove to her you want to be with her. You _do _want that, right? You still love mom?"

"Of course," Aaron said. "I can't imagine being with anyone else. I want to be with her…"

"But you want her happy more," Harry finished. He let out a frustrated sigh. "I hope I'm never so stupid in love."

"Hey!"

"If you want her happy, then make her happy! She doesn't want a divorce, not really. She wants to be with you! She wants to be with you and know that you're with her."

Hotch was silent. "I'm not sure I can do that anymore."

"You did it before."

Hotch folded his hands over his desk.

In the end, he refused to sign the papers. Harry was not privy to the conversation his parents had, but Haley moved back into the house while Aaron got a small apartment. He would stay there most nights, but slept in the guestroom on nights when he watched Harry and Jack. Haley had given him an ultimatum. Either be there, or don't.

Aaron stopped working at Quantico so much. Harry learned to charm paperwork so that it wouldn't be visible to Haley or Jack, so if he needed, Hotch could review files at home. He took his own advice he'd given to Rossi months earlier to rely on his team. When asked, the others stepped up and took bits of paperwork off his hands, Rossi especially. Combined, it was enough that Hotch could take half days every week or so when they didn't need to travel. When they did, he spent the morning after at home with Jack and Harry making them breakfast. It made Haley thaw in her feelings for him. Those were the days when they were almost a happy family again.

Things weren't fixed by a long shot, but Harry had hope his parents would work it out.

…

Despite the uncertainty at home, Harry managed to achieve a great deal in his studies that year. He was on track to get his high school diploma shortly before his thirteenth birthday and had taken his OWLs in Ancient Runes and Potions.

His upcoming apprenticeship with Redwolf had unofficially started. Redwolf was impressed with all of the progress Harry made in connecting fully to his own magic and the inherent magic around him, so started teaching him some tricks, such as pushing his magic out through his hands to take on a visible form.

"Most people can't do this," Redwolf stated. "They'd hurt themselves if they tried, but even if they could do it, they probably wouldn't even think of it."

"How did you think of it?" Harry asked absently as he focused on the red mist swirling around Redwolf's hand.

The older wizard grinned widely and admitted, "That's just it. I didn't think of it. I stole the idea."

Harry blinked at him.

Redwolf invited Harry to sit down as he explained. "I loved superhero comic books as a kid. They were pretty much my only connection to the world outside the reserve. When I got older and developed my magic, I started to wonder if I could do the things some of the charactors in the comics did, so I tried to imitate some of their powers. Superheroes like the Scarlet Witch, Doctor Fate, and Doctor Strange were my biggest inspiration. It's a huge part of how I became a Battle Mage. It's how I learned to do this." Redwolf held up his glowing red hand again. "Over the years, I've looked at other magic users in pop culture. There was a show that started a few years ago called "Charmed" about three sister witches. One of them had telekinesis."

Harry interrupted. "But we can basically already do that."

"But you use hand gestures. The fictional witch could do it by simply looking at something. Observe."

Redwolf placed a book down and simply stared at it for a second before it flew up and hovered at eye height. Harry's mouth gaped a bit.

"This is your homework: look into pop culture for inspiration on how to use your magic."

Harry had taken that advice to heart. Not only did he insert comics and fantasy novels into his reading material, he always had a carefully chosen movie or show playing in the background while he worked. In this way, Harry started a list of ideas of how he could either use his own magic or create various magical devices.

Those ideas would have to be put on the back burner though, as Redwolf told Harry that he wanted to take him to India and China that summer after his eleventh birthday. India would be first the first stop, and Redwolf estimated they'd only need to spend a week there before moving on. He knew a Master that agreed to train Harry at the Xiongdi Temple in the Yunnan Province. It was an ancient temple where witches and wizards had trained for millennia in mixing magic with martial arts. Very few were lucky enough to be chosen to train there, as the technique was extremely difficult to learn, let alone actually perform. The masters that left the temple traditionally took on the role of a protector, either of political leaders or in a peace-keeping organization.

The trip would come at a good time, as for the last few months, Harry had assisted his Kung Fu Sifu with teaching the beginning class of five and six-year-olds. It was not the only opportunity Harry'd had to teach, as all of his martial arts masters had asked him to help instruct some of the beginning classes. Harry could only agree to assist one class a week though, as his schedule was already so full and unpredictable. Though he enjoyed Tae Kwon Do, Jiu Jitsu, and Karate, his favorite style was Kung Fu, and he'd achieved his first dan black belt after a little more than three years of training. The kids Harry taught would soon be moving up in belts, so Harry would simply inform his Sifu and all of his instructors that he would need to take a break from his training as he would be traveling.

This trip was only the first excursion that Redwolf had planned. After a year at home, he was itching to be out in the world again, and he shared dozens of stories of his travels to Harry of all the places he'd seen and the people he'd met. After China, their next trip would be to the Dogon Tribe in Mali. Redwolf had spent a considerable amount of time with the magical population there, and learned much from them, as they were descended from the ancient Egyptians. Some of the knowledge of magical practices were still passed down in the tribe. Redwolf also promised trips to Greece and Norway in the coming years, as well as return trips to any area they had visited before.

Harry was both ecstatic and nervous. He would be leaving his family for long stretches, and he knew he would miss them. He was also worried about what would happen in his absence. Yes, his family was a bit more stable lately, but Harry was also worried about the team. Just a few weeks before they were to depart, the BAU helped to stop a terrorist attack. Morgan was nearly blown up in the process and his dad was badly hurt. JJ also revealed that she was pregnant with her long-distance boyfriend Will as the father. Harry had never met the man, and didn't want to leave with all of the changes happening.

However, an opportunity like this was rare. Unlike Redwolf, who had to build these connections over years to get an inside look at the cultures and their knowledge, Harry would be welcomed immediately with the trust his mentor had earned. Harry could never throw away the honor he was being offered, and his parents agreed.

When Haley and Aaron were first approached about the possibility of travel, they were immensely supportive. They trusted Redwolf to look after their son and knew it would do Harry good to experience more of the world.

The only thing left to do was tell everyone.

Sirius, of course, took Harry's rejection of Hogwarts the worst. He pouted about it for days and moaned about everything Harry would be missing until Emily stepped in and threatened him with no sex if he didn't drop it.

…Sirius dropped it. The only time it was brought up again was on Harry's birthday when Albus handed him his Hogwarts letter.

"It's tradition." He shrugged lightly. "Just thought you should have it even if you've already made up your mind."

Harry appreciated the thought, but was excited to set out in two days for India.

...

*A fan theory is that Ted Tonks is the newscaster Ted that's mentioned in the first chapter of _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone._

So, what do you guys think? It's hard to include small stuff that grows into large stuff when you don't know sometimes which stuff is going to grow and which isn't. But I really hope I got the characterization right with Haley and Dumbledore.

Also, we are officially done with the first story arc! AHHH!


	11. The Gift of Redwolf

I am SOOO SORRY for the long wait for this update. I decided to relocate about a month ago, and since then have been trying to find a place and move, all while still working (as a flight attendant, so I'm literally gone for 3-4 days at a time), so I have been BUSY and STRESSED.

Not to mention that this chapter gave me such a hard time. I had to research a bit, and then I went over what I'd written about a dozen times making sure I got it right. But, it's finally here.

Now, I did have a couple negative reviews on the last chapter. One guest reviewer in particular told me to tone down the drama…

First off: No.

Second: This is a Criminal Minds and Harry Potter crossover, of course there's going to be some drama.

Third: Haley's and Hotch's marital problems was one of the few major _personal_ plot points in the series that affected Hotch over several seasons. Do you really think I'm going to just skip over that? Especially when you know now that it's not following canon? I need to go in depth with that, and feelings – drama – are going to be involved. _Duh_.

Fourth: There is going to be some future drama in the story. It's not going to happen a lot, but every once in a while, drama's gonna happen. It's necessary for something called _character growth_. Just as in real life, going through something emotionally painful makes you a little older and a little wiser – also a little more understanding and sympathetic to others.

Fifth: This is _my_ fanfic. I do what I want.

Okay, rant over.

...

The Gift of Redwolf…Meanwhile…

…

Albus Dumbledore tapped his fingers together as he thought on the letter he'd just read. He had come back from visiting Harry on his birthday to correspondence from Gringotts about a break in that occurred the day prior. Of course, he could have just read the newspaper as it was frontpage news.

Someone had broken into Gringotts, into the very vault that had housed the Philosopher's Stone. He was immensely glad he had sent Hagrid to retrieve it before he left for the States. Currently, the stone was sitting in a warded drawer of the very desk he sat at. While this offered a fair amount of protection, there was the possibility of someone gaining access to his office long enough to break the protections, steal the stone, and escape. Better protections would have to be put in place.

A couple weeks ago, he had been contacted by his old friend and partner, Nicolas Flamel. Flamel had many contacts in the world to keep him updated on everything happening, so it was no great surprise that he discovered a plot to steal his stone. There had been several attempts over the centuries, but none worried him as much as this one. The goblin that warned Nicolas described the dark magic radiating off the man asking subtle questions about the Flamels. Combined with the other hints and whispers of the Philosopher's Stone being brought up in libraries for research and pubs with too much drink, Nicolas was on his guard. He kept the stone in Gringotts as it was supposed to be impenetrable, but Nicolas Flamel had lived long enough to know that no place is truly secured. That is why he decided to remove the Philosopher's Stone from Gringotts to a safer place.

That place could not be where Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel resided. He worried that it would invite whoever wanted it to their home. If they broke through their wards, he and his wife would be in danger, and they weren't the fighters they used to be. It was an enormous favor to ask of Dumbledore to take the stone to Hogwarts. It was potentially putting a whole school full of students in the very danger that Flamel himself refused to face. However, he reasoned that no one would expect the stone to be at Hogwarts, and it could be kept a secret. If anyone did find out, not only were there the school's wards to get through, they would have to traverse the school without being discovered or else fight off nearly the entire staff made of skilled witches and wizards. If all else failed, there was Dumbledore, widely considered the greatest wizard in the world, at least in Great Britain, and fierce enough to make You-Know-Who himself weary.

Albus agreed with Nicolas. Hogwarts was the safest place for the Philosopher's Stone. Now he just needed to protect it. There was still a month before the school year started, and he would use the time to devise the protections that would also serve as a trap should the one responsible come for it. From the information Albus received from his spies and contacts, he was fairly sure it was Voldemort. After a decade of inactivity, the Dark Lord was making his move.

This complicated things. He had promised to inform Harry of everything when Voldemort showed up again, but Harry was only eleven! It was too soon. Harry shouldn't have to face this yet. He deserved to be a child. He needed more time. _They_ needed more time.

Albus _could_ just not tell Harry and the Hotchners, but he had worked so hard to earn their trust. This would be his first test of if he had truly changed his ways. It was so tempting to revert back to holding all the cards close to his chest. He could wait for the right moment. He could observe everything and everyone and decide who to trust with what information. Then everything would work out in a way that would ensure victory. Even if more people were sacrificed, it would be the safest option for the world at large then taking the risk to save a few people only to lose the war and doom everyone.

Albus sighed. He had decided to change. He had to tell Harry, but how? And was keeping the stone at Hogwarts really the best option?

_Yes,_ Dumbledore firmly decided. That _was_ the best option*. His presence would make Voldemort hesitate to take the stone. There were other ways he could return, but Tom Riddle has always been stubborn. Once he set his sights on something, he would simply not give up, all Dumbledore could do was delay him until he either got the stone or…the stone was permanently out of his reach.

Albus sighed sadly, already having a strong suspicion of how this would end. Still, the course of action he had planned would buy them time before Voldemort regained a body, and it would mean that they knew exactly where he was and what he was doing. _Keep your friends close and your enemies closer_.

Now, Dumbledore needed to speak to some of his professors. They could be trusted and would be able to help keep the Philosopher's Stone safe.

…

The first lesson Harry learned from traveling was that jetlag sucked. Even though he and Redwolf used portkeys to get to Varanasi, India, the time change still hit him hard. It was lucky he needed less sleep than most eleven-year-olds because they went to their studies almost immediately upon arriving. They only took the time to set their bags in their shared room and change into traditional robes – Harry's in a vibrant orange and Redwolf's a golden yellow.

Then Redwolf introduced Harry to Guru Ridhaan, who, though not a wizard himself, had reached such spiritual enlightenment that he could sense magic and was often chosen to guide those who showed immense magical power.

"You were right to bring him here," Ridhaan told Redwolf in his accented English. "Have you prepared him?"

Redwolf nodded. "I had him study up on everything and we had long talks reviewing and reflecting."

Ridhaan smiled and led them to an empty gazebo used for meditating. "Tell me Harry, do you know why your magic appears more powerful than most wizards'?"

Harry sat cross-legged across from Ridhaan with Redwolf to his left. He picked up on the word "appears" that Ridhaan used, and it made him answer slowly. "I was told that my magic was strengthened during my childhood because it was used to keep me alive."

Guru Ridhaan smiled serenely. "You're not wrong. Even I can sense that your magical core is stronger than that of the average witch or wizard, and your spells would certainly have a bit more kick to them. However, raw power alone does not explain how you can do things few can. Can you remember when this change in your magic occurred, and what led to it?"

Harry thought back to his conversation with Blackwolf two years ago. "My magic started coming more easily after I dealt with my feelings towards the Dursleys; my aunt and uncle," he added for Ridhaan's sake.

"I assume you felt negative emotions towards them, and the surge in magic came after you let go of those negative feelings?"

Harry's brow crinkled. "Yes."

Ridhaan smiled widely, his light grey beard twitching with the movement. "Do you know why?"

Harry shook his head. "No."

"When we are internally conflicted – when we feel negative emotions – the flow of energy through our bodies is broken and blocked. This is doubly so for a witch or wizard. Your magic did not get stronger when you let go of your feelings, but the path your magic took through your body was clearer, and so you were able to summon it more efficiently to use more effectively."

Harry thought on this for a moment. It made sense. Magic was just energy, and if too much was siphoned off as it was being changed from one thing to another, like friction slowing a rolling ball, of course the magic would seem weaker. That it could be the result of emotions also made sense as they can subconsciously affect someone's intent and concentration, which was ninety percent of what made the magic flow into a working spell.

Guru Ridhaan interrupted Harry's thoughts by asking about his knowledge of chakras.

"How many chakras are in the body?"

Harry smiled. "There are 114 chakras, officially, though two are out of body. Some say there are even more."

Ridhaan chuckled. "Good. If you had answered 'seven,' I would have been worried. Though, the seven main chakras are very important, and we will be spending a large amount of time on them. Wizards can still perform magic with a blocked chakra. As long as they have the minimum chakras flowing, they can live and use their magic, but it will be very unhealthy and weak. Most people have more than the minimum chakras opened, and they can achieve the standard performance of magic. The more chakras that are open, the better your life and magic will be," Ridhaan explained.

"Harry, while you are here, I am going to guide you in fully opening as many chakras as possible, so that your energy – your magic – can flow smoothly throughout your body. From what Redwolf has told me, you have already started the process. I want you to be aware though, this is not a one-time procedure," Ridhaan warned sternly. "Keeping your chakras open is a constant struggle as every day brings new struggles to our lives. You must meditate daily to keep negative emotions away. You know the difference between feelings and emotions?"

"Feelings are temporary," Harry answered. "They're learned behavior triggered by an outside force. Emotions are deeper, event-driven, and long lasting."

"Good. I want to make sure you understand that it is okay to feel sadness, anger, and any other negative feeling in the moment something occurs," Ridhaan soothed. "It is what we feel after time has passed that we cannot allow to rule our lives."

"I understand, Guru Ridhaan, and I am honored and grateful for any help you give me."

"Then let us begin."

…

On the third day, Harry brought up a problem with Guru Ridhaan and Redwolf.

"I've been feeling magic that's not my own," Harry said. "I first noticed it several months ago, but I didn't realize what it was until now. It's," Harry reached up to rub the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, "it's here."

Redwolf and Ridhaan exchanged a confused look.

"Harry," Redwolf started nervously, "would you let me examine your scar?"

Harry agreed and Redwolf placed a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes. After a few moments, he sat back, displeasure written all over his face.

"I have never encountered something like this before," he began. "This is…dark magic. It's no simple curse, it's…I don't know what it is. Is it hurting you?"

Harry shook his head no.

Guru Ridhaan spoke up. "We can have one of the healers examine you. Perhaps they will have an answer."

They did just that, and the results that came back were confusing. No one could definitively say what it was*, just that it was some sort of foreign entity that possessed its own magical signature. Upon learning this, Harry formed his own suspicion of what it could be. Thankfully, the healers did not believe it to be parasitic at this time. Harry knew it wasn't, as he was in touch enough with his magic that he would feel if it was constantly drained. As it wasn't doing him any real harm at the moment, the consensus was that he could go on with his life, but it would be in his best interest to find a way remove the intruding force as soon as possible.

…

The week with Guru Ridhaan benefitted Harry immensely, and he easily promised to visit again. However, he and Redwolf needed to travel to China, where they would stay for three weeks.

This time, the time change was not as great, and Harry adjusted easily. The Xiongdi Temple was hidden in the Yunnan Jungle, surrounded by lush forest inhabited by magical creatures that Harry had only read about. His Kung Fu instructor was one of the few females at the temple, a relatively new development as traditionally only men were allowed to study there.

Sifu Lan was a woman of only thirty-one and not very high up in the hierarchy, but Redwolf assured Harry that there was no one better to teach him. Lan was a very beautiful Chinese woman, with shining dark eyes and clear, pale skin. She kept her inky hair in an intricately braided bun with golden hair combs decorating the sides, the only ornaments she wore. As she had to have worked twice as hard to be invited to study at the temple, Harry expected Lan to be stern and completely no-nonsense. He was pleasantly surprised to learn that she was almost maternal. Her demeanor was soft. She did not yell, but would patiently correct any faults in Harry's form. Though, Harry was proud to say that there were few.

Redwolf left Harry in Lan's care for the most part. In fact, about a week after they arrived, Harry went looking for Redwolf and couldn't find him anywhere. Eventually, Lan told Harry that Redwolf had left with two other masters, and it was not known when they would return.

"Don't worry," Lan comforted. "This happens sometimes. Redwolf is a Battle Mage, the only one known in the world right now. While many countries enjoy peace, war and unrest are always happening somewhere. We are lucky that Redwolf has revealed himself and volunteered to help when he is called upon. Has he not left the Apache Reserve in the last year?"

Harry opened his mouth to say no, but then thought about it. He didn't train with Redwolf every day, and there were some lessons that he had had with other teachers. Harry didn't recall seeing Redwolf during those weeks apart.

Lan correctly interpreted his expression. "I don't know exactly how it works; I'm not a part of the chain of command, but sometimes governments ask for his help when a particularly dangerous wizard or magical creature shows up. I know for a fact that Redwolf defeated a Chimaera two years ago, and five years ago there was a group of mountain trolls that were running amok in Tibet villages. There have been many other incidences too numerous to count."

Lan glanced around and leaned closer to confide, "No one will ever confirm the rumors, but we all know that Redwolf stopped a dark wizard a few years ago. It was in Georgia, I think. They wanted to overthrow the magical government, but someone there knew about Redwolf and called him in before too many lives were lost."

Harry swallowed. "Do you know if he helped with the British Wizarding War a decade ago?"

Lan's brows furrowed for a moment before smoothing out again. "I don't know. You would have to ask him."

Spending so much time together, Harry easily bonded with Lan and met her younger sister, Yenay. Over the next few weeks, Lan became a great confidant and teacher, not just in martial arts, but in Chinese culture in general. Yenay also became a great friend, sort of like an older sister. Harry's Mandarin and Cantonese improved a great deal even if he would sometimes accidently mispronounce a word and end up saying something ridiculous. Once, he accidently asked Yenay, nine years his senior, to marry him. She jokingly called him "Wèihūnfū," meaning "fiancé" after that and declared that any man who wanted to date her would have to ask Harry's permission.

Lan and Yenay taught Harry the ancient Chinese tea ceremony, which they partook in daily. Lan also taught him traditional dances and tried to teach him how to play the guzheng. Harry only had marginal success though, as he had never played a string instrument before. The blisters on his fingertips only just started to harden to calluses by the time he needed to leave.

Luckily, Redwolf reappeared four days before they were to depart. Harry wished to ask him about what he did as a Battle Mage and if he had fought against Voldemort, but held his tongue. He would wait until they were back in the states.

On the last day, Harry gave a short performance to demonstrate what he had learned at the temple, like using his two wands simultaneously. He found it most effective when he used his rowan wand in his left and his acacia wand in his right. Together, he was able to use martial arts moves in conjuncture with dueling spellwork. Similarly, when Harry got lessons on how to use ancient weaponry, he was most adept at twin dao blades, a favorite of the four prominent weapons of ancient China. In those times, before the wand became common, most wizards would use wandless magic, just as the Native Americans did. However, most were also trained in battle, and used weapons that were specifically crafted to channel their magic. Nowadays, the weapons were mostly ceremonial, but the Xiongdi Temple was one of a handful of places left that still taught students how to use them.

The most valuable fighting style Harry learned was how to release his magic with a punch. He had been told before that the technique was extremely difficult and very few wizards could do it, but he hadn't realized just how much control one needed over their magic to use it effectively _without_ hurting themselves. It was also, in a way, restrictive. Yes, it could be powerful and didn't require a wand, but it was a trade-off. The flexibility of the magic one used with that technique was restricted to only one objective. With a wand, it was easy to shift the intent of the magic flowing through the body. One could go from a defensive spell to an offensive spell easily and vice versa; like casting a shield charm, a stunning spell and then a tickling charm all in quick succession. But when Harry called forth his magic to be released through martial arts, it took time to change what he wanted the magic to do. It was a problem he hadn't experienced before when practicing wandless charms.

Redwolf explained, "Manipulating objects already around us with wandless magic is entirely different than casting an energy spell. It's comparative to changing an object physically versus chemically."

Harry frowned. "But, say I cast a disarming charm. That's not changing anything physically, so shouldn't it be easier?"

Redwolf gazed up in thought. "It's an odd mentality you have to develop in differentiating magic. I used that scientific example, but you can't think of it in terms of science, even if science _can _explain it. I would say it's the spells that are cast with visible beams of light versus the ones that aren't, but that's not strictly true. Nor is it thinking of spells that manipulate the surface compared to ones that, like the stunning spell, affect what's inside." Redwolf looked down at Harry. "It's not something that can be explained…"

Harry finished, "It's simply something that has to be understood."

At any rate, that style of battle magic was really only used to create shields or, in the case of deadly battles, use one offensive spell constantly, which made the user extremely vulnerable in a magical duel due to the inability to adjust and adapt to their opponent in a timely manner. It was why that style had fallen out of favor even in its birthplace. Only Elemental Mages really found it useful, which is exactly why Harry vowed to continue practicing the art.

Since getting his wands, he found that he had quite the affinity for fire magic, already able to windlessly conjure a small flame in the palm of his hand. His talent probably stemmed from his time with the Dursleys, as they never cared if Harry had warm enough clothes. He realized that he had been using magic to keep himself from freezing for years, and by now it was all subconscious.

"You know what this reminds me of?" Harry asked Redwolf as he punched out a small flame from his fist.

Redwolf grinned. "_Avatar: The Last Airbender*_. Right?"

Harry turned to him and nodded excitedly.

"Not surprising. The general concept of controlling the four elements isn't a new idea and probably stems from true stories about Elemental Mages. The creators of the show just put a new spin on it. That fact that the characters used martial arts to channel the elemental 'bending' is purely coincidence, but they actually consulted a Chinese Martial Artist on the fighting styles, so got a lot of it right. I'm sure you noticed Talisa's water magic is similar to 'waterbending'? While she also incorporates dance moves from ballet, waltz, and the tango to channel her magic, the inspiration she's drawn from that show has helped her finetune her natural affinity for water-based magic. Sometimes," Redwolf intoned wisely, "the people who have the best ideas on how to use certain power, are the people who don't have that power at all. You have to be creative. Frankly, I'm surprised how few witches and wizards ever master the different wandless magics."

Harry shrugged. "Well, you said it yourself. They limit themselves with their way of thinking."

Redwolf grimaced and shared a knowing look with Lan, who was quietly observing Harry's actions. "Well," he hedged, "that's not the only reason."

"What do you mean?"

"It's true most wizards in the world grow up with the general understanding of 'You can't do this'. That's because those who have tried are usually older and at a huge disadvantage. Their magic has become so used to being channeled a certain way, it's hard to break the mold. They try, they fail, and instead of accepting that _they _are the problem, they blame it on magic's limitations, saying it can't be done and perpetuating the belief. In other areas of the world where it's generally known that these techniques exist, it's more 'You _shouldn't _do this'. See, there are stories about wizards who tried wandless, offensive magic and ended up hurting themselves. There's one account that puts almost everyone off the idea. It's about a wizard who literally blew his arms off when trying to use an explosive spell. That's why they're so strict about teaching the technique here and why we keep repeating that it is very difficult and very dangerous."

"Huh," Harry acknowledged blandly before he smirked. "I'm still going to try to firebend!"

Redwolf sighed in resignation. "Just don't burn your arm off. I'm fairly sure your mother would kill me."

Five minutes later, Lan and Redwolf were rushing Harry to the healer as Redwolf scolded him. "What did I say about burning your arm off!" he shouted.

Harry tried to grin sheepishly, though it came out as a grimace. "At least it wasn't a _reducto_?"

Before Harry and Redwolf left the Xiongdi Temple, Lan and Yenay gifted him with a Yixing tea set as a going away present. It had been passed down in the temple for over three hundred years and the Grandmaster had given permission for Harry to have it. It was not the oldest set in the temple by far, but he was still touched to receive it.

…

"Did you ever fight against Voldemort?" Harry asked Redwolf. They had arrived back at the Apache Reserve and Harry was about to take the final portkey home to D.C.

Redwolf blinked. "Lan told you about my…consulting, shall we say?"

Harry nodded. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"You would have wanted to come along."

Harry couldn't argue with that. "Well?" he asked in reference to his earlier question.

Redwolf sighed. "I was still young when the war was going on in Britain. I wasn't yet considered a Battle Mage. That wasn't even my goal. I just wanted to learn all types of magic. I went to England to see if I could help on a whim. It was naïve of me. I didn't really understand just how bad things were over there. It was at the tail end of the war; during the last few months." He paused in thought, looking down at the ground with a frown. "I met your parents once."

Harry startled and looked at him with wide eyes.

"I had been invited to a meeting of The Order of the Phoenix, a group Albus Dumbledore had put together to combat Voldemort's forces. We were going over ways to alert members of Death Eater activity, since many times they arrived too late to do any good. Your parents were there, and they'd brought you along. It was the first and last time I saw them. I remember how clear it was they loved each other, and how much they loved you."

Redwolf looked sadly at Harry.

"I wish I had done more…I wish I had _pushed_ to do more. I wasn't confident in my skills. I was inexperienced. And I was afraid. I didn't want to fight, so, I rarely did, even though I knew so much battle magic that I could have easily saved more lives. If I had been braver, if I had been willing to get my hands dirty so others wouldn't have to, I could have done so much more. Maybe I could have helped end the war and stopped what happened to your parents."

He put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "When my cousin told me about you, I didn't realize you were the baby I saw all those years ago, but I saw your parents in you the moment we met. I…" Redwolf sighed brokenly. "I can't tell you how much regret I've felt all these years from how little I did in that war. I know it wasn't my fault," he said quickly. "I wasn't the one to kill and hurt all those people, but I didn't do anything to stop them either. What I didn't – _couldn't – _do then, stayed with me. It wasn't until a year later, traveling through Africa, when I helped a group stop a warlord that I gained the title of Battle Mage. Despite having killed the warlord, I felt...lighter. I didn't think I would, but...I did. I finally understood the responsibility that came with my knowledge of magic."

Harry murmured, "With great power, comes great responsibility."

Redwolf barked out a laugh. "Quoting Spider-Man at me?" He shook his head fondly. "I suppose it fits though. I embraced the title and tried to make up for my past inaction. All the people I wasn't brave enough to save, not just your parents, made me want to be better. That's why I agreed to teach you, Harry. You already felt responsible, you just needed the power. In a way, you're my redemption. You're better than I was. You don't back down from doing the right thing, even when you're afraid, so I promise I'm going to do my best to make sure you survive. For your parents, for everyone I didn't save," Redwolf smiled through the tears shining in his eyes, "and for everyone I know _you_ will."

Harry gave no warning before he latched onto his mentor, hugging him tightly around the middle.

James Redwolf hugged him back tightly. This was his apprentice, the boy who was destined to fight the monster he was too afraid to fight himself. He saw so much potential in Harry. He was the best parts of his parents, all _four_ of them, but Redwolf was proud to find a bit of himself in Harry as well.

…

On September 1st, 2008, several hundred children gathered on Platform 9¾ to travel on the red steamer to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry just as they did the year before. As always, teary goodbyes with parents and happy reunions with friends were shared, and the students settled in their seats when the train started moving.

Different from every year before, were the whispers of one name going up and down the train.

Harry Potter.

Everyone raised in the wizarding world on that train knew that this was the year he started Hogwarts. Those that came from nonmagical families were soon informed. What no one knew was where he was. Quite a few students walked up and down the length of the train, peaking into compartments, trying to find the elusive Boy-Who-Lived that hadn't been seen in ten years. By the time they reached Hogsmeade Station, everyone knew the truth.

Harry Potter was not on the Hogwarts Express.

Some reasoned that perhaps he was arriving separately. Others doubted.

The first years took the boats across the lake, and the upper years rode in the carriages to the castle.

The teachers at the head table heard their students talk as they went to their house tables and frowned in confusion. Harry Potter wasn't on the train?

Dumbledore saw the questioning looks thrown his way and kept a blank face. He had been secretly dreading this day. He would have to tell everyone that Harry Potter would not be rejoining their world just yet. Minerva's reaction was the one that scared him the most. She was apoplectic years ago when Harry first went missing, and he'd suffered her glares and sharp tongue for months. Dumbledore was thankful she didn't know what Harry had suffered in the Dursley's care. She may have actually cursed him. She still might if she ever did find out.

After he'd called off the search and reported that Harry had been found safe and happy, Minerva had spent the better part of a year trying to get the location out of him, wanting to check for herself. Dumbledore had refused, straining their friendship even further. The breach had healed somewhat after she accepted that Dumbledore was telling her the truth; that Harry really was safe and with a loving family. She finally let the matter rest and went on with her life as usual.

However, McGonagall had been noticeably cheerier these last few weeks when she thought the son of her two favorite students would finally be under her care. Dumbledore had not informed her otherwise. Perhaps it was cruel to let her get her hopes up, but if Dumbledore was honest, he was afraid of the retribution Minerva would dole out for being denied seeing Harry, a boy Dumbledore knew she viewed as almost a grandson. That is why Dumbledore had a plan to announce Harry's absence tonight, knowing she wouldn't lose her temper in front of the students and hoping her temper would cool before she could get him alone. It would also keep rumors from circulating about Harry. As he had learned from JJ, to keep a secret, it was best to give some information out rather than none at all. Then they could control what people learned instead of letting them speculate and go digging for their own answers.

McGonagall led the first years in. After the Sorting Hat sang its song, she started reading off the names. After "Perks, Sally-Anne," she read out, "Potter, Harry".

The hall was silent for a moment before whispers filled the hall, everyone straining their necks to find the boy in the crowd of eleven-year-olds.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and stood up. "Forgive me, Professor McGonagall. I should have removed Mr. Potter's name when I was informed that he would not be attending Hogwarts this year." _Or next year, and probably every year after that,_ Dumbledore thought, but had phrased it to make it seem like Harry _would_ be attending at some point to throw everyone off. "Mr. Potter-" _Hotchner_, he added in his head, "has received a very rare educational opportunity. Though I do wish he was here, even I admit that he would have been a fool to pass it up. He has entered into an apprenticeship with one of the most talented wizards I have ever met. Rest assured that he is well taken care of, and with any luck, we will see him in the future."

Dumbledore sat down again, smiling benignly, successfully hiding the fear he felt at McGonagall's icy glare. The woman closed her eyes tightly before opening them and giving him one last look before turning around and continuing with the sorting. She had to raise her voice over the hushed conversations that had broken out with Dumbledore's news. Still, he breathed easier and slightly sagged with relief once she turned around.

It was only when he continued to feel eyes on him that Dumbledore turned slightly to glance at Severus Snape out of the corner of his eyes. The dour man was staring at him suspiciously, but once he made eye contact, Snape sniffed and faced forward again.

Dumbledore sighed silently. Perhaps it was for the best Harry did not attend Hogwarts. Chaos would undoubtably erupt if he did.

…

Harry returned home to find that not much had changed in his month-long absence. Haley and Aaron were still working out their problems and the BAU was still solving cases both magical and not. Sirius and Emily were a solid couple, and Reid was doing great after kicking his drug habit.

The only noticeable change was that JJ's baby bump could no longer be hidden. It took him a few hours and many glances to finally build up the courage to ask if he could touch it. JJ laughed and allowed him to put his hand over her distended stomach. Harry beamed. Normally, a person wouldn't be able to feel the kicks, but Harry wasn't normal, and he could sense the movement of the baby easily.

"I can't wait for my baby cousin," Harry whispered. A glint entered his eyes and he grinned widely as he looked over to Emily. "Hey, Auntie Em. Are you and Siri going to give me more cousins?"

That earned him a swat on the head from the dark-haired agent.

Jack, of course, was ecstatic to see his big brother, and they spent the first few days after Harry's return together playing. Harry showed Jack some of the things he learned, and Harry saw a problem that he hadn't noticed before. Jack was not a wizard. But he wanted to be.

Harry let himself feel bad about it only for a moment. Jack may not be a wizard, but he was amazing in his own way. Harry promised himself that he would make sure Jack would never feel inferior for not having magic. Many of the people Harry looked up to weren't wizards after all. So, Harry would focus on that. Jack wasn't yet three, and there was plenty of time to find that thing that belonged to Jack and Jack alone. In the meantime, Harry thought maybe he could ease the disparity of things Jack couldn't join Harry in doing. There were all of the passive magics Harry had learned starting out, and he got the idea of creating magical items when Jack used the invisibility cloak.

…

It was only three weeks after his return that Harry was called back to the reserve by Blackwolf. That should have been his first clue that something was wrong. The second clue was that Blackwolf was waiting for him when he landed from his portkey. The third clue, the one that finally registered, was the red-rimmed eyes and slumped shoulders of the Apache chief.

Harry was not a genius for nothing. It took a few seconds for Harry to take in Blackwolf's appearance, but once he did, the thoughts fired in his brain and snapped to one conclusion. Something had happened to Redwolf.

As Harry met Blackwolf's eyes, there were many questions he could have asked. What happened? Where is he? Is he okay? But those were pointless.

"He's dead. Isn't he?"

John Blackwolf swallowed. "Yes."

…

James Redwolf was buried on a corner of the Apache reserve. Times had changed and the tribe was no longer nomadic, but they still tried to adhere to traditional burial rites as much as they could. One of them was to burn the home and all possessions of the deceased. While they couldn't burn his house down, they did burn quite a few of his personal belongings. Only a few exceptions were made.

Blackwolf handed over four leather-bound journals. "He'd want you to have these," he said to Harry after the boy'd cried himself out. "These too." A hand waved at the small, undecorated pensieve with several vials of silvery memories next to it. "I want you to know you're family. My cousin, he loved you," Blackwolf said.

"I know," Harry whispered. "I loved him, too."

"Out of all he'd achieved in life, the legacies he'd left behind, being your mentor was what he was most proud of."

Harry's face crumbled and he had to choke down a sob. "Who?" he grunted. "Who killed him?"

Blackwolf considered him. "Are you sure you want to go down this road?"

Harry looked him in the eye, a hard, determined look that took Blackwolf aback at how cold it was. "When was I not on it?"

…

*As I was writing this chapter and putting myself in Dumbledore's shoes, I finally understood that there _was_ good reasoning behind bringing the Philosopher's Stone to Hogwarts. More on that in the next chapter.

*If anyone is wondering why the healers didn't know it was a horcrux in Harry's scar, it's because horcruxes are extremely rare, dark, _forbidden_ magic. It would be rare for a healer to know what it was if they didn't study horcruxes specifically.

*Avatar: The Last Airbender is a show that first aired on Nickelodeon in 2005 and is extremely popular. It's one of the few tv shows that reminds me humans aren't completely stupid. If you haven't seen it, I 10/10 recommend it. To give you an idea of how good it is, Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 100%, with 99% of the audience liking it.

I KILLED REDWOLF! Do you hate me? The thing is, I always planned to kill him. As William Faulkner said, "Kill your darlings."

Anyway, I don't usually explain why I titled a chapter the way I do – I tend to think it's obvious, but for this one…I though first of just saying 'Redwolf's Gift', but went with what I did because it could refer to the physical gifts he gave Harry, the gift of his connections in the world, the travel, and/or the knowledge. More importantly, "The Gift of Redwolf" implies that Redwolf himself was a gift, and it's totally true.

So how'd I do with this chapter? Is the tone a bit darker at the end? Because it's supposed to be. Also, what do you think of the ancient magical Chinese techniques? Good? Bad? I want Harry to be creative with using his magic, but then I thought that surely in the thousands of years of magic users, someone else would have had the same ideas. That spawned my convoluted explanation of yes, they exist, but no one really uses them because of reasons...that Harry will overcome.

Please review and tell me what you think!


	12. Meanwhile, The Stone

Oh my god you guys...I just...

First, I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I've been working on it for weeks, but life has been crazy. However, I finally have my living situation under control, so updates should resume in a much more timely manner.

This chapter gave me a really hard time at first, and I had to rewrite part of it. It is also SUPER LONG; almost 9000 words. I doubt I'm going to write another chapter as long as this one, but you guys deserve it.

...

…Meanwhile…The Stone

…

Penelope Garcia lounged in her rolling office chair while she fingered a tassel from one of her toys, staring at the screens where her updates were flashing across too quickly to read. A knock on her door made her turn to see Harry standing there.

It had been four days since news of Redwolf's death, and Harry had barely come out of the trunk he'd been converting into a work space. His rectangular glasses were smudged and his rumpled clothes probably hadn't been changed once in that time. The skin under his eyes was a deep purple and his naturally messy hair was even more of a bird's nest.

"Aunt Pen," Harry whispered roughly. "Where is Jason Gideon?"

Penelope blinked and swallowed. "I don't know."

Harry's lips pressed together, and she added, "I've tried tracking him down before, but…he's gone off the grid. He-he knows how I work."

Harry frowned at the floor. "Do you think he's in contact with his son?"

A shrug. "Maybe. They were estranged. But even if he did call him, Gideon probably takes measures not to be found that way." She hesitated. "Harry, if he doesn't want to be found, he won't be."

Harry looked up in determination. "You wanna bet?"

Penelope tilted her head. "You got an idea?"

Harry breathed in deeply. "I need you to look up his old case files, specifically the ones he didn't solve."

At that moment, a beep let them know that the updates were finished, and Penelope turned around to start the search. "What are you thinking?"

Harry leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms. "I've seen it enough to know that there's always that one case in every investigator's life that they can't let go."

…

Albus Dumbledore apparated into the shed behind Sirius's house the next day after taking an international portkey from London to Washington D.C. It was the beginning of October, and Dumbledore was both looking forward to seeing Harry and dreading it. He had escaped McGonagall's wrath after the Welcoming Feast with nothing more severe than a tongue lashing followed by a week of icy glares and probing questions. Thankfully, the students soon distracted her enough that she couldn't hold onto her anger. Now, she got along with him fairly peacefully as long as Harry wasn't brought up.

Albus suspected that it would always be a sore subject between them.

At any rate, he would have to disclose not only what was happening in England at this time, but also more about Voldemort. That, he was not looking forward to.

He walked from Sirius's house down the street to the Hotchner residence and knocked on the door. Hotch answered and beckoned him inside. Albus had been informed of Redwolf's death by Harry in a letter, but he hadn't heard anything about what had been happening since then.

Apparently, Harry had sat his whole extended family down and told them he needed to bring Redwolf's killer to justice, especially as the authorities had been having such a hard time with it.

His name was Danilo Cabrera. He was a half-blood Argentinian wizard that was expelled from Castelobruxo for violence and afterward got involved in illegal fighting rings where he dominated. Apparently, his need for the thrill of the fight grew so great that he started targeting highly skilled and talented wizards all over South America, many of them in law enforcement. He would ambush his victims and then duel them to the death, sometimes in their own homes. Unfortunately, no one could find him. Cabrera's fourteen victims in the last four years ranged over thousands of miles, from Venezuela through Columbia to Peru and Brazil all the way down to the tip of Argentina. Cabrera could have been anywhere on the continent. The Argentinian aurors charged with bringing Cabrera in had reached out to Redwolf in the hopes that he could take the man down, something no one else was confident they could do because of the stories they had heard when investigating.

The rumor was that Cabrera was a Battle Mage.

So Redwolf had gone to Argentina, where his presence was "leaked" in the hope that it would lure Cabrera in with the promise of a challenge.

The plan worked too well. Cabrera had never abducted anyone in broad daylight before, so they weren't prepared when Redwolf was jumped and apparated away on the day he arrived. It all happened so fast. Later that evening, Redwolf's body was dumped onto the steps of the Ministry.

Albus listened to Hotch recount Harry's plan to focus on getting the credits needed for his high school diploma and put a hold on all other education. Doing so would mean he could take all of the standardized tests by Christmas. He wouldn't achieve the highest marks he could have made if he'd waited another year and a half like planned, but Harry would still pass. Then he'd get certified as a private investigator. If he wanted access to the case file, Harry would need the certification to be hired by the same Argentinian aurors that had consulted Redwolf.

Haley didn't like it. She didn't want Harry to have anything to do with criminal investigations, but she knew in her heart she couldn't stop him. She had become resigned to the fact that Harry would be chasing down criminals no matter what. All she could do was let him do it in the safest way possible, so she compromised. She would give her support if Harry would not be the one to physically confront Cabrera when he was located.

Harry agreed.

Elle was taken off the Death Eater cases, which she didn't mind at all, and instead traveled to South America to find more information. Greenaway & Potter Investigations had been officially hired to find Cabrera, so she would have all access. After Harry gained his certification, he would have more information on Cabrera and be able to narrow down where he was hiding out before coming up with a plan to take him out.

Aaron finally finished relaying all this, and Albus was left mulling over the information.

"And how do you feel about all this?"

Aaron lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "I'm not really surprised by it, but I agree with Haley. He's too young to go out in the field. If he wants to study more forensic science, I can get behind that. I actually think he might be solving crime from a lab in the future, what with how he's taken to studying anthropology and pathology. After he gets his diploma, he won't be taking college classes until next fall, and they'll probably be online. Really, there's no rush. He's young and incredibly intelligent and the colleges he applies to will know that. Plus," he added with a grin, "Reid promises he can get Harry into any school of his choice with one phone call."

Albus hummed. "You don't think it's a mistake to neglect his magical education?"

Hotch narrowed his eyes. "He's not neglecting it. He's taking a break. Give it a few months. He'll be back to learning about History of Magic and Ancient Runes at the very least." He paused. "You're not going to try to get Harry to go to Hogwarts now, are you?"

"No," Albus answered immediately, "but I will remind him that he is welcome at any time."

Aaron nodded and then told Albus to head on up to Harry's room. It looked much tidier with most of its usual items missing. The magical trunk was up against one wall with the lid open, and Albus called down Harry's name.

"Come in!" he shouted in response, and Albus stepped into the trunk and down the stairs. Inside was one large room with many of Harry's books and inventions, along with his desk and a couple large whiteboards on one wall covered in small, neat handwriting. In the corner, large blueprints with what looked like floorplans laid on the carpeted floor.

Inanna blinked at Dumbledore from a glass sphere the size of his head. There was a wrist-sized hole for her to enter it, as well as a cushion for her to lounge on.

"She likes to sleep in small spaces," Harry said as he saw Albus's curiosity. "Would you like to sit?" he gestured to the armchair sitting opposite him at his desk.

Dumbledore sat and observed Harry. He looked tired, and his pinched eyes showed his grief. But he also looked determined. There was just the slightest furrow to his brows that looked set in stone.

"So," Harry began hesitantly as he folded his hands on the desk in front of him and looked at Dumbledore suspiciously. "What do you want to tell me?"

Albus didn't even ask how Harry knew something was on his mind. Harry always knew. "First, I'm worried about you, and so are your parents."

Harry looked away. "I'm fine."

"No. You're not. And that is perfectly understandable, but you need to take better care of yourself. Sleep. Eat. Shower. Spend time with your family because one day you may not have them and you'll regret this time you wasted locking yourself away," Dumbledore scolded. "If you want their support for your endeavors, then they need the assurance that you won't hurt yourself in the process."

Harry's shoulders slumped from Dumbledore's reprimand. He knew he deserved that. He really hadn't been taking care of himself lately, despite his parents attempts to help him. They had found quickly that Harry couldn't deny Jack anything, so would often send him down to use puppy dog eyes on his older brother to come up for air.

Even Harry's magic had been affected. Guru Ridhaan's words came back to him, and Harry knew he'd have a lot of meditating in his future to work through this.

The eleven-year-old sighed way too warily for his age. "Okay. Duly noted. I'll do better." He looked up sharply. "Now what bad news do you have?"

This time it was Dumbledore who sighed. "Voldemort is active again."

Harry nodded and waved his hand for him to continue.

"A couple months ago, I got a letter from my old friend, Nicholas Flamel. He'd gotten word that someone was after the Philosopher's Stone. It's a-"

"Stone made by alchemy with special properties and can turn anything to gold and grant long life," Harry interrupted. "I know. What did he want you to do about it?"

"Well, he wanted me to take the stone to Hogwarts, which I did, and not a moment too soon. Just a day after it had been removed from Gringotts, the vault was broken into." Harry's eyes narrowed at this. He knew all about Gringotts and their security. "There's not much evidence that directly points to Voldemort being the culprit, _but_," Dumbledore continued, "I know he's responsible. The intelligence I've received indicates he's absent from his usual haunt in Albania, and while many people may covet the Philosopher's Stone, the elixir it produces to grant long life could also be used to give Voldemort a physical body. It's really all he needs to return to power."

Harry leaned back in thought. "Are there other ways for him to gain a body?"

"Yes, but they are much more difficult. The ingredients needed are hard to procure and the process would be long and taxing, especially for whoever helped him, and Voldemort _would_ need someone to help him."

"And you don't think he has someone helping him now?" Harry questioned. "If he's a wraith with no body and virtually no usable magic, then how was he supposed to steal the stone from Gringotts? I could easily believe he'd gotten in because he was incorporeal, but how was he supposed to take the stone? He would have needed someone or some creature to do his bidding," Harry reasoned.

Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Yes. You're right. I'm sure Voldemort does have someone working for him, and I think I know who it is."

Harry raised a brow expectantly.

"I believe it is my current Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Quirinus Quirrell."

Harry's eyes bugged while the rest of face remained blank. "Explain."

"He was the Muggle Studies professor, but applied for the empty defense position last spring. I approved as there was no reason not to and I had another applicant to take over Muggles Studies. Quirrell was a good man, if slightly arrogant. Then he went on a European tour over the summer to gain some practical experience in defense. When he came back, he was different. He didn't say what happened to him, but he acts nervous all the time and developed an extreme stutter. However, when he thinks no one is watching, his behavior changes. I believe it is all an act."

"So," Harry said slowly, "you think Voldemort got to him on his tour?"

"Quirrell did travel through Albania, and he did seem the type of person who could be swayed by Voldemort's promises of power."

Harry tapped his fingers on the desk and hummed. "You know what I've never thought of before?"

Dumbledore blinked at Harry's curious tone. "What?"

"Why Albania?"

Dumbledore opened his mouth and found he had no answer.

"Well," Harry continued. "It's something to come back to." He took out a pad of sticky notes and wrote those two words on the top note. He stuck it to the wall behind him where a bunch of other sticky notes with random questions or 'to do's' were stuck.

"As for Quirrell," Harry stated, "I think it's stupid of you to allow a man you highly suspect to be working for Voldemort to teach an important class, let alone be in a school at all."

"Quirrell won't hurt anyone before he gets the stone."

"And how possible would it be for him to do that?"

Dumbledore grimaced. "I asked for his help to protect it." Harry gave him a look that said, _What the hell, Albus?_ "In my defense, it was before I suspected him of working for Voldemort."

"Did you change the security around the stone now that you know?"

"No."

Harry raised his hands up in question.

"I don't want to alert him to my suspicions. It might force him to act erratically."

"Which you wouldn't be able to predict and take precautions against, which would put everyone in more danger."

"Exactly."

"You are playing a dangerous game," Harry stated seriously.

Dumbledore replied wearily, "I know. I'm trying to keep Voldemort distracted as long as possible. If he's focused on the stone, he won't try one of the other ways to return. I'll know where he is and what he's up to, which is the best option at this point. None of us are ready for him to return. I'm trying to prolong the inevitable. I…am also hoping that Quirrell isn't so far gone that he can't come back. I know he doesn't have the dark mark. Voldemort's unable to mark him as he is," he defended. "What would you have me do?" he asked plainly.

Harry looked away. "He can't get the stone." He chewed his lip. "What about the Fidelius?"

"I thought of that. We know that spell is not full-proof, and I'd rather not let my guard down relying on it. And again, I don't want Quirrell to know I suspect him. I'm not sure how I could use it to shield the stone without letting him know. The knowledge of the stone's location would disappear from his mind. If he were to report that to Voldemort, it could result in him either leaving and moving onto another plan…or attacking in hopes of gaining the information. He could even hold one of the students hostage. He could hold _anyone_ hostage for the stone's whereabouts, and I would probably give it to him."

"So, the obstacles have to _seem_ surmountable to keep him from acting too brashly; make him wait and watch."

"A mind game, yes," Albus agreed.

Harry held up a finger in thought. "You know, when I learned about chakras, I learned that it was okay for every witch and wizard to learn about how opening them could increase their magical prowess. _No one_ was worried about anyone using that power to harm people. Because anyone who wanted to harm people would be unable to open their chakras enough to gain that magical boost. It was an inherent safety net that kept people who weren't worthy of the power from getting it."

Albus looked up in thought for a moment before looking at Harry with a twinkle in his eye. "You just gave me a brilliant idea."

Harry smiled. "Glad to help. You'll let me know if anything happens?"

Albus nodded with a smile. "I will." His lips parted, but the words stuck in his throat and his eyes couldn't meet Harry's.

Harry's smile fell and he remembered what he had wanted to confront Dumbledore about weeks ago.

"I learned something else in India," he stated, drawing Dumbledore's eyes back to his. Harry reached up and tapped his scar. "There's magic here that's not my own. It's Voldemort's. Isn't it?" he asked as he studied Dumbledore's face. The old man's expression let Harry know that Dumbledore knew exactly what he was talking about. "I don't want to know," Harry stated.

Dumbledore blinked in shock.

"I don't want to know," Harry repeated. "Not yet. I just can't right now. I've got too much to do, and knowing would only make me stress about it, and I can't do that right now. And I can't make my family stress about it right now either," he explained. "After. After I catch Redwolf's killer, and things are calmer. Then you can tell me. Or if Voldemort does regain a body, then you'll _need_ to tell me. But right now, I don't have to know, and I want to know."

Dumbledore looked at Harry in wonder. "There was a time I believed I would have to hide it from you when you asked. Now I am willing to tell you, and you decide to let me keep it to myself."

Harry looked down. "Yeah, well…I trust you. You said once I wasn't ready to hear it, and I know now I'm not. So, when the time comes, I'll learn the truth, but not before. I know the danger in knowing too much too soon."

…

And so, the new routine began.

Harry tried to spend the same amount of time with his family as before, but his study time was spent solely on nonmagical subjects. As a result, he stopped going to the Apache Reserve so much and his friendship with Sam became strained.

As much as Sam supported Harry and wanted the best for him, he didn't quite understand Harry's drive to catch criminals and took the stance of simply "moving on" from Redwolf's death. Harry understood why he did it. Sam was a naturally happy person. He wasn't the type to seek justice. He was the type to grieve. He was the type to remember the good times. Sam wasn't like Harry. Sam didn't think about the person who took their friend and mentor from them and feel a red-hot fury steal over them when they imagined the guy getting away with it.

It was just the way things were sometimes: some people held on, and some people moved on. The different ways Harry and Sam dealt with their grief didn't mean that they no longer close, but they felt an undeniable shift in their friendship with that new taboo subject. Still, Harry didn't want to lose his last friend. All of his other friendships from his martial arts classes had basically fizzled due to his different life style and need to keep secrets. He genuinely cared about Sam and knew that he was one of the few people Harry had that could make him feel like a regular kid. So, Harry compromised, and instead of taking classes with Sam, he visited when they could spend their time hanging out having fun.

Time at Quantico was also cut back, which was a blessing to Harry as JJ started training Agent Jordan Todd to take over her duties for the team when she would go on maternity leave. Harry didn't like her. When asked why, he couldn't really articulate his feelings; Todd just rubbed him the wrong way. It wasn't anything personal or professional, though from what he observed, she definitely didn't vibe with the other team members like Emily did when she first joined. No, Todd just wasn't cut out for the BAU. Give it a few weeks and she'd be wanting to go back to her old job as soon as she could.

…

When Quirinus Quirrell ran into the Great Hall shouting about a troll in the dungeon, Albus Dumbledore was able to regain order quickly and order everyone back to their common rooms. In the scramble, the frantic voice of Neville Longbottom was heard by a sixth year Gryffindor prefect, Noah Walker.

"What about Hermione? She's in the bathroom. She doesn't know!"

The other three boys in Neville's dorm had made fast friends, but Neville himself was shy and a bit of a loner. As such, he had latched onto the only other loner in their year, Hermione Granger. She was a teacher's pet and a know-it-all. With Ron Weasley leading the charge on teasing and mocking her, she hadn't made any friends either. She had helped Neville in some of their classes though, and he felt they were moving towards friendship. Neville may have been a Gryffindor, but he was his Hufflepuff mother's son, and he would not leave without knowing someone was going to make sure she was safe.

Percy Weasley may have taken up leading the students back to the Gryffindor common room, but Noah was corralling the stragglers and heard Neville's inquiries to the others around him. He was able to flag down Professor Vector, one of the professors that had stayed behind to ensure the students were safe. Vector immediately went off to the bathroom Hermione was supposed to be in and hurried her out of the stall. As they passed through the bathroom door, they glimpsed the troll standing just across from them. Luckily, they weren't trapped and were able to sprint away down the hall. Vector told the portraits they passed to get help while keeping the troll far enough behind them long enough for the other professors to arrive and collectively stun the troll.

Ministry workers arrived to dispose of the creature, and Hermione Granger was taken to the hospital wing for shock.

The following days revealed no evidence as to the culprit, but Albus Dumbledore knew he needed to tighten security. The Mirror of Erised had not yet arrived, and he would need time to charm it to protect the Philosopher's Stone. Even after, they would be working on borrowed time. Who knew what Quirinius would do next?

…

Harry staggered the two years' worth of exams needed to gain his high school diploma. The final exam was taken a week before Christmas, and he did well enough thanks to Spencer's help. Some of his exam results were disappointing because he knew he could have done better with more time, but the lowest grade he got was a C- in Trigonometry. He naturally passed all of his English and History exams with flying colors thanks to his speed reading and near perfect memory. All of his studies into forensics counted as either science or elective credits, so he was able to further his knowledge in his own interests at the same time. All in all, Harry was satisfied and promised to come back to study all of the subjects more in depth later.

For Christmas that year, Sirius and Remus gave him books on the animagus transformation along with a journal filled with the Marauders' own experiences. It took them three years to become animagi, but they suspected Harry could do it in one with their help.

In the New Year, Harry got the certification for becoming a private investigator and was invited into the investigation of Danilo Cabrera's whereabouts.

…

Albus Dumbledore was highly disturbed.

Hagrid had reported a dead unicorn he found in the Forbidden Forest. There weren't many beings capable of killing a unicorn. There weren't many that _would_, due to the consequences. Even violent magical creatures, like the Acromantulas, tended to leave unicorns untouched after sensing intuitively just how dangerous it would be to harm them.

He pulled out the modified flip phone Harry had gifted him with at Christmas and called him to tell him about the situation. After talking it over, Albus agreed to find out if other unicorns had been killed.

Hanging up, Albus had to admit that phones were very convenient inventions, and much more comfortable than kneeling by the fireplace to make a floo call. It really was time the magical community caught up with technology.

…

Five months after Redwolf was killed, two months after Harry started tracking down his killer, Cabrera was located.

While interviewing people who knew Cabrera – Elle in person with Harry on the phone – they had learned a lot about what he was like as a child and young adult, including any habits and preferences. A cousin was able to tell them about Cabrera's sweet tooth, which made Harry pay attention to the crime scenes. The aurors hadn't gone through any of the trash in the victims' homes, but there was one picture of victim number nine's kitchen, as that was where the body was found. Harry could just make out a candy wrapper sitting by the bin, as if someone had tossed it, missed, and hadn't bothered to pick it up. This wrapper was the same as one found at the scenes of the last two murders, which Harry had visited himself. The candy was a bon bon sold at only a dozen privately own stores in Salta, over four hundred miles away from the last murder, so it was a good bet that it was brought by Cabrera as the victim had never traveled there.

Interviewing the owners and employees of the stores yielded nothing. None of them had seen Cabrera, so Harry and Elle got permission to plant cameras around all of the entrances, but Harry wasn't counting on getting anything from them. Cabrera had spent years running and hiding from the law and surely had plenty of tricks. He could have been using a disguise or getting someone else to buy the chocolates for all Harry knew.

So, Harry took a step back and thought about it logically. He knew Cabrera was in or around Salta. From the length of time that had passed between the victims that had the candy wrappers at their crime scenes, Harry knew it was a home base and Cabrera was likely to still be there. Looking at the geography of Salta, he saw there were plenty of farms around the city, perfect for Cabrera to hide out in. He also knew Cabrera loved those bon bons.

What if…Cabrera was hiding out where they were made? Then he wouldn't need to buy them from any of the stores.

Harry quickly learned that the bon bons were made in a small factory right next to the farm that produced the dulche de leche they used in the chocolate. It was owned and run by the Gallo family and extremely isolated.

Elle visited a neighboring farm and asked about the Gallos. Apparently, they used to be very friendly, but in the last three years, they'd cut themselves off from everyone. When they did show their faces, they spoke very little and only stayed around long enough to finish their business.

"I think they're farming more than cows over there," one of the matriarchs Elle interviewed confided. "Whenever I see Hector Gallo, he always has a glazed look in his eye." She raised her brows meaningfully. Elle thanked her and then returned to the temporary headquarters she and the team of aurors had set up in Salta.

After reporting her findings and recounting what the woman said about glazed eyes, a physical indicator of the imperious curse, a warrant was issued and the team was given an order to storm the farm. Not wanting Cabrera to get away, anti-apparition and portkey wards were constructed around the farm, and a total of twenty aurors were spread out in a perimeter encircling the farmhouse and factory while another eight each went in both buildings.

Cabrera was there.

He was caught by surprise, but still put up a fight. One auror was killed, putting Cabrera's _known_ body count at eighteen. Another two were seriously injured and would need to take medical leave at the very least, if not retire from the aurors. Five more suffered moderate injuries, but would heal within a couple weeks. The others escaped with a few scrapes and bruises.

Cabrera himself was killed…by Elle.

She'd had to argue to be allowed to go on the op because she wasn't a witch. She knew the danger, which is why she wanted to be on the outskirts only. When Cabrera escaped the farmhouse and made a run for it, he encountered the aurors outside and had to go on the defensive. While everyone else fought him out in the open, Elle circled around the lines, went in the house, and dashed upstairs to a window facing the fight. She opened it, took aim, and fired her gun only once.

Cabrera had been fighting well against the aurors, but he was so focused on fighting magic, that he didn't think to fight a gun. He wasn't expecting a physical bullet, one that wasn't stopped by his shields, as those he'd used only stopped magical attacks. The bullet went right through his neck, and he spent his last minute alive surrounded by aurors watching him choke on his own blood.

Harry and the BAU team watched all of this go down on a wall of monitors playing live footage from the body cameras Harry had sent Elle to make the aurors wear.

"He wasn't a Battle Mage," Harry quietly said after it was over.

The others looked at him in disbelief.

Morgan said incredulously, "He took on a dozen wizards at once."

"He wasn't a Battle Mage," Harry calmly stated again. "Cabrera was powerful. There's no doubt about that, but I know how a Battle Mage fights. A dozen aurors were nothing to Redwolf. Cabrera was _not_ a Battle Mage. Those aurors were more afraid for their own lives, and were using mostly defensive spells to keep their distance. Cabrera was simply pushing through and getting too close, using their numbers against them to keep them from using more dangerous spells in case they hit one of their own. He was highly skilled and a great tactician," Harry concluded and pursed his lips, "but he _was not_ a Battle Mage. He only got Redwolf by ambush and luck."

Harry honestly didn't know if that made his mentor's murder worse. If Redwolf had been ready for an attack, he would have wiped the floor with Cabrera. Instead, Cabrera used underhanded tactics to kill Redwolf before he even saw it coming.

Harry was broken out of his melancholy by a call from Elle. The Head Auror and lead in the investigation, Auror Vargas, wanted to talk to Harry.

"Four years. Four years we've been looking for this guy," he said, his accent getting stronger with his agitation, "and you find him in two months because of a damn candy wrapper?!"

…

In the months since Cabrera's death, Harry had been doing better. Through a lot of self-reflection, he'd gotten his emotions under control, and his active magic was back to where it was before. He was studying theoretical and passive magic again, like Aaron had predicted, and he was reviewing the subjects he had skimmed when getting his diploma. The piano Haley and Aaron had bought him years ago was seeing more use, and he had developed a new laptop to be sold at VTI, which was booming. Sirius and Remus even opened a second store in New York City and hired ten new employees to run it as well as put together and sell the merchandise.

Even though Harry now had his PI certification, he didn't take on any cases. They all went to Elle, as she never resumed working on the Death Eater files. She'd done a lot of investigating in the last two years, but Harry knew that if he stood a chance against Voldemort and his followers, he had to know how they thought. He took over the investigation, which Elle was quite happy with, as it left her free to take on more recent cases and track down whoever she pleased.

In an effort to increase his prowess at solving crime, he requested a meeting with Chief Strauss to ask if she would hire him as a consultant to review some of the FBI's cold cases. As she had watched Harry over the years and been impressed with what she saw, she agreed, especially as no one was actively working the cases and no toes would be stepped on. Her initial hope of both helping the broken boy and also gaining a formidable asset had seemed to come true. However, she did warn Harry that he probably wouldn't solve any of the cases she gave him, as they were worked on by the best and yet still went cold.

Because of this, Strauss offered to reach out to any law enforcement that she had a good working relationship with to see if they would hire him to review their cold case files as well. Those crimes were probably smaller scale and the investigating officers wouldn't have had the level of resources the FBI did. Harry was pleasantly surprised and made sure she would relay that he would work on any cases they had for free. That was probably the reason that three different precincts in the DC area took him up on the offer. They had nothing to lose and he'd been vouched for by a high-ranking FBI section chief that was known for her no-nonsense demeaner and high expectations.

Harry designated only two hours a day on working on the cold cases, that way he wouldn't be consumed by it and be able to keep balance in his life. The cases were mostly B&Es and theft, but there were a few muggings and rapes included in the first couple of file boxes that Harry received. He would work his way up to murder.

The Hotchner household was doing well. Through Harry's mania of finding Redwolf's killer, Aaron and Haley had become a cohesive unit again. Aaron still had the lease on his apartment, but he rarely used it. It was only when Aaron was in an especially depressed mood that he knew even his family wouldn't help that he went there, needing some time alone without worrying Haley. If he'd known it was that habit that kept Haley from fully taking him back, perhaps he would have found another way to deal with the bad days, but he didn't. The status quo wasn't necessarily bad, but there was no movement, and Harry was getting impatient with his parents and the uncertainty.

He also had to admit that he wanted another sibling in the future, and Jack fully agreed, especially after spending every few days with JJ and baby Henry while she was on maternity leave.

Eventually, JJ went back to work, the team continued on as they always did, and Harry made great strides in his education. He took his NEWTs in both History of Magic and Ancient Runes that Easter and achieved high marks. Paired with his age, his History of Magic score got the attention of Master Historian Aristides Jones out of Philadelphia. He sent Harry a letter about continuing his education in History of Magic and earning a Mastery, after which, he could join the worldwide Guild of Historians. If he so chose, he would have access to all of the guild's resources for his research. Harry had always love History, mostly for the sociological aspect, so he happily agreed and would send any research papers he wrote to Aristides for review.

As things were going so well, it was only inevitable that something would go wrong. In May, Dumbledore called Harry about the unicorns being killed in the Forbidden Forest.

A chat with the centaurs had revealed that there had been almost a dozen unicorns killed since term started. At first, it was only once every couple of months, but it had since accelerated into an almost weekly occurrence.

Albus and Harry argued back and forth as they sat at their own desks in the respective offices thousands of miles apart. It had to be a wizard killing the unicorns, and that wizard had to be Quirrell.

"I know you were hoping to save him," Harry said diplomatically, "but you can't save everyone, especially someone who can't be saved. He's killed _unicorns_, Albus, _pure light_ magical creatures. There's no coming back from that," he argued. "He's cursed. He's doubly cursed if I'm right about why he's taking their blood."

Albus sighed. "You really think he's drinking it?" he asked. He'd found, on closer inspection, that the unicorns were being drained of their blood.

Harry shrugged. "There's very little research into what unicorn blood can do, both because of how rare it is to procure safely and how few people are willing to experiment with it," Harry reasoned. "But it is known to extend life and make the drinker stronger. Maybe Quirrell needs it to get past the protections?" he spitballed. "At any rate, the killing needs to stop."

Albus sighed. "Yes. I cannot in good conscious allow this to continue any longer, but I have no proof Harry. You're the one who always goes on about having proof. Without it, I'm not sure what action to take."

Harry tapped his fingers as he thought. "Is there a pattern to the attacks? Certain days of the week or month? Have you compared it to the lunar cycle?"

Albus thought. "I didn't write down exact dates."

Harry rolled his eyes, though of course Albus couldn't see over the phone. "I really have to teach you basic investigating techniques, specifically information gathering," he said blandly.

Albus huffed and frowned. "Let's see…I think, from what I've gathered from Hagrid and the centaurs, that the attacks happened around the full moon. Though lately, there doesn't seem to be a pattern. It's been happening on both weekends and weekdays as well."

Harry sighed. "When was the last one?"

"I'm actually not sure. I went to check with Hagrid a few days ago. He'd been neglecting his Gamekeeper duties the last few weeks and I thought it was because he'd been scouring the forest. Turns out he'd somehow procured a dragon egg. It'd hatched and he was spending all of his time taking care of it in his hut."

Harry raised a brow at this. "You're kidding." He'd heard a lot about Hogwarts from Sirius and Remus, and knew about Rubeus Hagrid from their stories. He seemed a gentle giant, very kind and good-natured. He was described as having an easy-going attitude and a good sense of what was important in life and what wasn't, so tended to let little things go with a great sense of humor. He was also extremely loyal. The only criticism was that he was perhaps a bit too trusting, so sometimes wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch.

"Hagrid has always had a weakness for magical creatures. The more dangerous the better," Albus explained. "When it comes to them, all his sense seems to fly out the window. He once even asked me if the school could get a dragon. He said it could be a learning experience."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Where the heck did he even get a dragon egg? It's not like you can buy them; it's illegal."

"I asked him that myself. On one of his visits to my brother's pub in Hogsmeade, he played a game of cards with a fellow and won it off him."

Alarm bells immediately rang in Harry's head. Why would a man have a dragon egg, a highly valuable object, and then gamble it away in such a place as the Hog's Head to a complete stranger?

Slowly, Harry asked, "Albus, did Hagrid say anything about what happened while they played? What they talked about? What the man looked like? Was Hagrid drinking when this happened?"

Silence was his answer. Harry's face scrunched as he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He knew the undercover interrogation tactic. Get someone alone. Get them comfortable. Get them drunk. Start a conversation. Share some small talk. Casually bring up a seemingly inane topic that you know the other person knows all about. And then…sit back while the person tells you everything you want to know that you would never get out of them if you'd asked directly.

Harry knew about the protections around the Philosopher's Stone. He knew the very first obstacle was a Cerberus Hagrid had raised. He knew that Quirrell could probably get passed all the other enchantments and defensive spells on the first go, but magical creatures were a different story. Unless you worked with them directly, it didn't matter how good of a wizard you were, you weren't getting around them, especially not a Cerberus. They guarded the gates of Hell in ancient myths for a reason.

"Albus," Harry slowly explained his thought process. "If Quirrell needed a way to get past Fluffy, he knew Hagrid would know how. He couldn't ask Hagrid about Fluffy without seeming suspicious, but he could ask about magical creatures, specifically, _large and very dangerous _magical creatures and how to take care of and train them. There aren't many examples Quirrell could use for that. But if he knew Hagrid wanted a dragon, that would fit. You said that on his tour, Quirrell spent time on a dragon reserve? Then he would know how to get past their security and steal an egg. Was he absent from Hogwarts over Easter break?"

"Yes," Albus answered hesitantly. "He was."

"So, he could get the egg. Does Hagrid visit your brother's pub a lot? Is he known to drink?"

"…Yes."

Harry sighed and explained exactly how Quirrell would have used Hagrid's inebriation and the relaxed atmosphere to coax information out of Hagrid by purposely losing the dragon egg to him. After, it would have been natural to ask for proof that Hagrid was capable of taking care of a dragon.

"Hagrid would have been in his cups by then and not think anything wrong in telling him how he trained Cerberus."

Albus sighed. "Including how to put Fluffy to sleep with music."

"Exactly."

"But if Quirrell knows how to get past all the protections, why hasn't he made his move?"

"You're there," Harry answered simply. "You're the only one Voldemort's ever feared, makes sense his followers fear you too. And if Quirrell knows he's being watched – and he probably does – then he'll wait for you to leave the school on some errand." Harry paused. "But remember, he doesn't know how to get passed _all_ the protections."

Albus smiled. "That's true, so really we should just worry about the unicorns."

Harry put his feet up on his own desk. "Leave it to me."

"But…how are you-"

"Leave it to me!" Harry repeated. "You're ruining the moment!"

…

Harry probably should have elaborated to his parents on what his trip to England would be about. In his defense, visiting the Tonkses and his Gringotts family vault _were_ on the agenda. They just weren't the main point. Taking Sirius with him was a stroke of genius and kept anyone from asking questions.

"Hey Padfoot," Harry had started with an innocent smile on his face as he looked at his godfather with wide eyes. "You know all those times you ran around the Forbidden Forest while at Hogwarts?"

Needless to say, it didn't take much to convince Sirius to help Harry break into the Hogwarts grounds, though they did lament leaving Remus behind to suffer the full moon alone. Remus waved them off, saying he'd be fine with the Wolfsbane potion Haley made him.

As Harry didn't want to be recognized just in case they were spotted, he used glamours to change his appearance before they took the Knight Bus to Hogsmeade. His hair became blonde, his eyes were blue, and his nose was more bulbous at the end.

Staring up at the illuminated castle, Harry took a moment to appreciate what he had given up in choosing not to attend. It was beautiful, peaceful even. He could picture himself happy there, maybe not for the curriculum or outdated views, but by being completely surrounded by magic with kids his own age he could make friends with.

Shaking himself of the thought, Harry and Sirius made their way to the Forbidden Forest with Sirius in dog form, Harry lighting his wand tip once they were in deep enough the light couldn't be seen from the castle. From vague memories, Sirius knew the most popular areas of the forest that unicorns liked to travel. They ran on the barely-there path for a time, the only beings around. Then Sirius stopped, ears perked. He grunted to Harry, and almost in sync, they sped up their pace, abandoning the path to run through the trees until they heard a distressed neighing from up ahead.

Sprinting outright, Harry and Sirius, who became human once again, saw a fully cloaked figure aiming a wand at an injured unicorn sprinting around the small clearing, feinting attacks as it tried to dodged the spells. As they watched, a silver whip flung out towards the poor creature, creating a large slash on its neck that instantly started to bleed along with the other slashes on its body. The unicorn stumbled and let out a cry that jolted Harry and Sirius into action, aiming their own wands and shouting off offensive spells.

The figure cut off his attack to shield himself. Seeing as he was outnumbered and about to be cursed again, he took off with inhuman speed with no audible footstep on the ground. Within seconds, he was completely gone from view.

That left Harry and Sirius alone with a gravely injured unicorn. With the attacker gone, the unicorn's strength flagged and it ungracefully lowered itself to the ground. Its labored breathing was the only sound as Harry and Sirius glanced at each other, wondering what to do.

Harry took a hesitant step forward.

"Harry!" Sirius whisper shouted. "Unicorns don't trust humans, especially men."

"We just saved it. Surely it knows we're not a threat," he argued back.

Sirius pursed its lips and matched Harry's steps forward. In the faint light, they could see the unicorn was female.

She was starting to get her breathing under control as she stared at them unblinkingly. The slash marks continued to ooze silvery blood.

When the two wizards were just feet away, the unicorn snapped her teeth and grunted warningly at Sirius. The older wizard held his hands up and took a step back. Harry lowered himself into a crouch with his hands up.

"It's alright," he whispered with as soothingly as possible. "We're not going to hurt you. We just want to make sure you're okay. I promise. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help."

Harry slowly extended his hand palm up towards the unicorn's nose. If she decided not to trust Harry, he'd have to pull his hand back quick or lose some fingers.

But she leaned forward to sniff at Harry's hands, her large eye meeting his as her nose gently brushed against Harry's hand. Hesitantly, Harry settled his hand over her muzzle.

"That's it," he said gently with a smile.

The unicorn whimpered softly and nodded her head against Harry's hand. Slowly, keeping eye contact, Harry telegraphed his moves as he shuffled forward and moved his hand up her snout below her eye and then over her neck to one of the gashes. Harry glanced at it before looking right at the unicorn's eye and speaking plainly.

"I don't know any healing spells, but Sirius does. Will you let him help you? I promise he won't hurt you. Please, trust us," Harry said, knowing unicorns were intelligent creatures.

A moment passed before the unicorn seemed to nod her head and make an agreeing sound. Harry moved back to sit beside her head with his hand gently running over her nose in calm reassurance.

Sirius slowly moved forward and lowered himself into a crouch next to the unicorn. He looked over her body, covered in marks. Looking the unicorn in the eye, Sirius raised his wand and pointed it at a slash on her flank. Then he turned his head and clearly said, "Vulnera sanentur."

The gash stopped bleeding immediately and the skin stitched itself back together. A sigh left the unicorn and her body visibly relaxed. Sirius repeated the process on the largest gashes, magically cleaning the blood off as he went.

In a low voice, Sirius spoke, "What I don't understand is, why didn't she just run away? Why did she keep coming back to attack him?"

Harry shrugged as he ran his hand over her forehead.

Before Sirius could finish with the smaller wounds that had already stopped bleeding, the unicorn abruptly stood up, leaving Harry and Sirius on the ground, vulnerable if she wanted to attack. She paid the no mind though, and let out a few neighs as she walked over to a large bush. A high-pitched whinny answered back. The bush moved and a small, golden unicorn fawn stepped out to greet its mother.

"Oh," Harry said as he stood. "That's why."

The mother and son, for it was a boy, nuzzled each other before turning back to the wizards. The mother approached first, and nuzzled first Harry and then Sirius in thanks. The boy followed her lead and greeted them much more excitedly, letting out whinnies and prancing around the wizards.

Harry grinned widely as he patted the unicorn and rubbed his neck and muzzle, murmuring compliments.

"I'm going to call you Hercules," he said simply before turning to the female unicorn. "And I'm going to call you Alcmene."

…

At breakfast in the Great Hall the next morning, Albus Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement. He had contacted Flamel when he was roused from sleep to find Harry and Sirius in his office. After hearing what had been happening at the school, Nicholas and Perenelle had decided that the stone was too dangerous to keep around. Together, they decided it would be best to destroy it.

The Flamels didn't regret their decision. They'd lived hundreds of years and were feeling the effects. They wanted to rest.

Dumbledore revealed this news to all of Hogwarts after revealing just what had been guarded in the third-floor corridor all year.

"At this very moment, the stone is being destroyed. The Flamels have enough elixir to get their affairs in order, and then they will move on to the next great adventure." Dumbledore glanced sideways to see Quirrell's reaction. It was clear he tried to keep his face blank, but Dumbledore could detect both anger and fear in his eyes.

Later, when Quirrell didn't show up for his classes, Dumbledore and McGonagall went to his quarters to check on him. They found Quirrell lying on the floor, dead. Dried blood streamed from his eyes, his skin an ashen grey. For the first time, they saw him without his turban, and the back of his bald head was misshapen and deformed. It almost looked like a face.

As McGonagall went to contact the aurors, Dumbledore performed some diagnostic spells. What he found made his heart stop for a moment before beating double-time. Traces of dark magic, of _soul _magic were found on Quirrell's corpse.

Now he knew that Harry had been right – in more than one way. Quirrell had been drinking unicorn blood, and he did it because his body could not support two souls. Quirinius Quirrell had allowed the wraith of Voldemort to share his body, and Voldemort killed him when he left. Dumbledore never could have saved Quirrell.

Now that the Philosopher's Stone was no longer an option, Voldemort would try another method to return. Dumbledore wondered how much time they would have before that happened.

...

So a lot happens in this chapter. Please review and let me know what you all think!


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